Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to assess the epidemiology, characteristics, and outcome of cardiac arrest among critically ill children in the Jazan region of Saudi Arabia.
Methods: Self-managed hospital records of patients [including admission and intensive care unit (ICU) administration data] were retrospectively obtained and analyzed from January 2017 to December 2021 at King Fahad Central Hospital.
Results: The largest proportion of patients (69.7%; 280/402) was 0-12 months of age, followed by those 5-10 years of age (13.4%), and over half were males (57.7%; 232/402). A total of 11.7% of the patients were diagnosed with cardiac arrest. Most (83.6%) of the cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) admissions were deteriorating inpatients and the remaining, 10.9% and 5.5% were administered CPR upon admission or were not administered CPR, respectively. While the majority (89.6%) of the patients died upon discharge, 8.5% improved, 1.2% were transferred to an external facility, and 0.7% were discharged against medical advice.
Conclusion: The children receiving CPR in this study had high rates of mortality. Patients under observation, event, and unit type (Neonatal ICU, pediatric ICU, or ward) were associated with a higher risk of death. Further analysis is needed to determine the association between resuscitation procedures, unit type, and mortality.

Key words: cardiopulmonary resuscitation, cardiac arrest, critical care, mortality, epidemiology