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Early defibrillation improves outcomes and survival in cardiac arrest patients. In a recently published observational study of 330 patients who presented to one hospital after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) during a 10-year period, these authors reported that patients with ventricular fibrillation (VF) had better outcomes and quality of life (QOL) than did those with other causes of OHCA (Mayo Clin Proc 2004; 79:613). In a follow-up study, the authors reviewed the cases of patients with VF OHCA to determine the effect of age on long-term survival and QOL.
The rate of survival to hospital discharge was 40% (44% for patients with witnessed arrests). For patients younger than 65 who survived to discharge, the 5-year survival rate (94%; 9…