Analysis of factors influenceing patients' family to make decision to reject resuscitation to the patients

Objective To study the factors influenceing patients' family members to make own relative fac-tors patients' families making decision on refusal of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) to the critical patients. Method Data were registered based on Utstein Style of 522 patients aged over 15 years, who subjected to in-hos-pital cardiac arrest(CA) in Department of Emergency of The First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical College from January 2005 to December 2008. A total of 157 patients' family made refusal decision among the 522 pa-tients, who belonged to the refusal group, and others belonged to the attempt resuscitation group. The associated factors included age, sex, marriage, household register, cause of CA, underlying diseases, capability of activity before CA, life supported with mechanical ventilation, and administration of pressor agents. The refusal decisions were evaluated by using univariate Logistical regression analysis, and then the statistical significant variables were analyzed by using muhivanate Logistical regression analysis. Results Age, household register, cause of CA(car-diac or traumatic),stroke, sudden death, cancer, capability of activity before CA, life supported with mechanical ventilation,and administration of pressor agents were the important factors of making refusal decision (P 0. O5). The independent risk factors re-lated to refusal decision were age (P = 0.034),cancer (P = 0.006),stroke (P = 0.003), and life supported with mechanical ventilation (P = 0.000) in multivariate Logistical regression analysis, but the protective factors were sudden death (P =0.000),cardiac CA (P =0.020) and traumatic CA(P =0.000). Conclusions Age over 60 years, cancer, stroke, and life suppoted with assisted ventilation before CA were factors associated with re-fusal decision making, yet sudden death, cardiac CA and traumatic CA were factors of accepting CPR. Key words: Cardiac arrest (CA) ; Cardioplmonary resuscitation (CPR) ; Utstein Style; Logistical regression analysis