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New study finds cardiac arrest cases deadlier at night

Case Management Weekly, March 4, 2008

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A study in The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) says patients who experience cardiac arrest after 11 p.m. at night are more likely to die than those patients whose attacks occur during the day. While the study did not examine the reasons for this difference, the authors did conjecture that inexperienced or overtired staff may be contributing factors, as well as the fact that night shifts are often less staffed than day shifts.

The study examined more than 86,000 cardiac arrests occurring in more than 500 hospitals over seven years. Almost 20% of the patients experiencing cardiac arrest during day or evening hours survived and left the hospital, whereas fewer than 15% of patients whose attacks occurred after 11 p.m. survived.

The study authors told JAMA the findings should be a wake-up call to hospitals to examine whether nighttime response can be improved.

Source: Newsday.com

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