Factors determining decisions regarding cardio-pulmonary resuscitation in patients with cerebral haemorrhage

Introduction and objective. Some medical factors related with cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) outcome are known. Moreover, there are other factors, not strictly medical one, as age, gender, race and socioeconomic status, that influence on decisions of CPR. The aim of this study was to analyze the influence of all this factors on in-hospital CPR of the patients with intracerebral hemorrhage. Materials and methods. This retrospective study comprised all the consecutive patients hospitalized with spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage who died within 30 days of hospital admission in a public hospital during the period 1987-1994. We used stepwise logistic regression to identify variables that had a significant independent relation with decision of CPR. Results. We identified 73 patients, 50 men and 23 women. Their mean age was 61 years. RCP was performed in 25 patients (34%). A logistic regression revealed that age (OR 0.8), Glasgow score on admission (OR 0.67) and time of death (OR 1.2) were significantly associated with CPR decision. Conclusions. CPR was less probable in aged even though they had better level of consciousness on admission. Moreover, CPR was less probable early in the morning.