Alcohol, Drug Misuse and Suicide Attempts: Unrecognised Causes of out of Hospital Cardiac Arrests Admitted to Intensive Care Units

The contribution of alcohol, drug abuse & suicide attempts to out-of-hospital cardiac arrests was assessed. A retrospective review was done of all cases admitted to the intensive care unit over a 2-year period. There were 26 cases, 6 of whom survived. Ten patients arrested due to external factors (including 4 suicide attempts). All of the patients who arrested secondary to external factors were young, 90% were male, & all died in hospital. (15 refs.)