Return of spontaneous circulation after cessation of cardiopulmonary resuscitation in a case of digoxin overdosage

AbstractObjective. To increase the awareness of the existence of return of spontaneous circulation after cessation of cardiopulmonary resuscitation in the intensive care setting. Setting. 28-bed medical surgical intensive care unit in a 600-bed tertiary care hospital. Patient and participant. Single patient. Return of spontaneous circulation after cessation of cardio pulmonary resuscitation. Interventions. A middle-aged female patient with multiple medical problems and digoxin toxicity was admitted to the ICU. With the start of heamodialysis, the patient had ventricular fibrillation necessitating the initiation of CPR. In view of unresponsiveness and poor chance of discharge from ICU, CPR was withheld after 12 minutes of advanced cardiac life support. Measurements and results. While the ECG leads were still connected, spontaneous pulse and blood pressure were noted after 3 minutes. The patient thereafter had normal mental function for 12 days and then died of severe sepsis later whilst still on the ICU. C...