Hospital Variation in Time to Defibrillation After In-Hospital Cardiac ArrestHospital Variation in Time to Defibrillation

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Abstract
Given that in-hospital cardiac arrests are common and are associated with poor survival and neurological outcomes,1,2 efforts to minimize delays in defibrillating eligible patients are increasingly being recognized as an opportunity to improve the quality of care. A recent study found that as many as 30% of in-hospital cardiac arrests from ventricular arrhythmias are not treated within the American Heart Association's recommendation1 of 2 minutes, a delay that was associated with a 50% lower rate of in-hospital survival. In that study, patient-level factors, such as a noncardiac admitting diagnosis and after-hours cardiac arrests (evenings and weekends), were identified as clinically significant predictors of delayed defibrillation.