An observational study of extracorporeal CPR for in-hospital cardiac arrest secondary to myocardial infarction

Objective To determine the effects of extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation (ECPR) in patients with in-hospital cardiac arrest (IHCA) due to acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Methods IHCA patients due to AMI undergoing CPR between 1 January 2006 and 1 July 2010 were analysed retrospectively. We compared the survival outcome of 43 patients who received ECPR with that of 23 patients who underwent conventional CPR. Results The survival rate was 34.9% for patients who received ECPR and 21.8% for those who received conventional CPR (p=0.4). Increased survival rates to hospital discharge were seen in patients with ST segment elevation (p<0.01), or had initial rhythm of ventricular tachycardia/ventricular fibrillation (VT/VF) during resuscitation (p=0.031). Conclusions ECPR may improve survival in cardiac arrest patients who have a ST segment elevation or initial rhythm of VT/VF myocardial infarction.