The aim of this study is to describe the effect emergency cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) for resuscitation on the survival rate of patients.

The study population was composed of persons 16 years or older who had out-of-hospital cardiac arrest and were transferred to the Sapporo Medical University Hospital from the scene between January 1, 2000, and September 30, 2004. Children younger than 16 years and persons who were dead were excluded. Data were collected according to the Utstein style. Survival rates and cerebral performance category were analyzed using χ² analysis for the patients with presumed cardiac etiology. Cardiopulmonary bypass was applied to patients who showed no response with standard advanced cardiac life support. The interval from collapse and other noncardiac etiologies were considered criteria for exclusion.

Of the 919 patient medical records reviewed, CPB was performed in 92 patients. Of the 919 patients, 398 were of presumed cardiac etiology (n = 66 for CPB), 48 patients survived, and 24 patients (n = 7 for CPB) had a good cerebral outcome (cerebral performance category score 1). With CPB, the rate of survival at 3 months increased significantly (22.7% vs 9.9%, P < .05), but the rate of good cerebral outcome (10.6% vs 5.1%, P = .087) showed a positive trend.

The use of CPB for arrest patients was associated with reduced mortality. It did not increase good neurologic outcome significantly. Still, 7 cases with intact central nervous system would have been lost without CPB.