Survival after 43 minutes of cardiopulmonary resuscitation: A case report

Abstract

Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrests (OHCAs) is a major challenge for every emergency physician. Despite the new guidelines and regular updates, OHCAs still have a low survival rate. However, many prolonged resuscitations were reported to have good outcome. A 37-year-old unconscious man was brought to our Emergency Department (ED), and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) was initiated as per the American Heart Association (AHA)/Advanced Cardiopulmonary Life Support (ACLS) guidelines. Patient returned to spontaneous circulation (ROSC) after 43 minutes. He had a long stay in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and encountered several complications. Patient left the hospital at day 54 with minimal neurologic sequel. Many factors were proven to be associated with the survival rate of OHCAs; the duration of resuscitation, the rhythm on arrival, the patient’s age, the initiation time of Basic Life Support (BLS) all play a major role.