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EDITORIALS: Tom Evans Cardiac arrests outside hospital BMJ 1998; 316: 1031-1032 [Full text]

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Cardiac arrests outside hospital

Carlos Frederico Arend   (30 April 1998)

Cardiac arrests outside hospital 30 April 1998
Carlos Frederico Arend, medical student Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul - Brazil Send response to journal: Re: Cardiac arrests outside hospital	In his editorial on the cardiac arrest outside hospital, (reference1) Evans makes assertions based on incorrect interpretation of the data from UK Heart Atack Collaborative Group. (reference 2) He says that "two thirds of all patients with coronary artery disease still die before reaching hospital". It is not true. According to the manuscript, 3523 cardiac arrests were studied and 1095 did not arrive alive at hospital. It means that, instead of two-thirds, only one-third of patients with cardiac arrest have no benefit from the advances in hospital treatment. Hospital treatment of cardiac arrests, such as advanced life support, is of obvious value for the majority of patients. 1. Evans T. Cardiac arrest outside hospital - Survival could be improved by better public awareness of symptons. BMJ 1998; 316:1031-2 2. Norris RM on behalf of the United Kingdom Heat Attack Study Collaborative Group. Fatality outside hospital from acute coronary events in three British health districts, 1994-5. BMJ 1998; 316:1065-70 Carlos Frederico Arend Medical Student Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul Brazil Address: Av. Nilo Pecanha, 1121/302 Porto Alegre - RS - BRAZIL CEP 91330-000 Telephone / Fax 000 55 51 331 1762 Carlos Frederico Arend carlos@hotnet.net