Purpose: According to meta-analytic data, the prognosis of a cancer patient post-cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is relatively similar to the general population. However, preselection of patients, the details of CPR, patient-specific characteristics, and post-CPR care are poorly described. The aim of this study is to identify prognostic factors in order to recognize cancer patient profiles more likely to benefit from CPR.
Methods: This is a retrospective study on a series of patients with solid or hematological malignancies who received CPR between January 2010 and December 2020 in a cancer institute.
Results: Sixty-eight patients were included. The ratio of solid to hematological malignancy was 44/24, of which 32 were metastatic solid tumors. Median age was 61 years. Hypoxemia (29%) was the primary factor for cardiac arrest, followed by septic shock (21%). ICU mortality and hospital mortality were 87% and 88% respectively. Younger age, the presence of hematological malignancy, or a metastatic solid tumor were poor predictors for in-hospital mortality. Similarly, cardiac arrest in the ICU, as the final consequence of a pathological process, and a resuscitation time of more than 10 min have a negative influence on prognosis.
Conclusions: This study shows that CPR is a useful intervention in cancer patients, even in the elderly patient, especially in non-metastatic solid tumors where cardiac arrest is the consequence of an acute event and not a terminal process.
Keywords: CPR; Cancer; Cardiopulmonary resuscitation; Oncology; Outcome; Post-resuscitation care.
© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.