Cardiac arrest & resuscitation
Prevalence and outcomes of in-hospital cardiac arrest in the intensive care unit: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors' conclusion
Cardiac arrest in the ICU was associated with poor survival, with a higher prevalence in patients with COVID-19.
Study context
- Population
- Adults with cardiac arrest in the ICU (ICU-CA)35 observational studies · 36 cohorts
- Outcome
- Prevalence of patients with ICU-CA
Methodological detailsrandom effects meta-analysis, generalised linear mixed model, GRADE, meta-regression
- Random effects meta-analysis
- Generalised linear mixed model
- GRADE
- Meta-regression
Pooled result
As reported in the abstract
Pooled proportion of ICU-CA
Pooled proportion of ICU-CA
3.23%
95% CI 2.08–4.98, moderate certainty
Further pooled results
| Outcome | COVID-19 | non-COVID-19 | P value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Proportion of ICU-CA by COVID-19 status (subgroup)Significantly higher with COVID-19 | 10.6% (95% CI 5.4–19.7) | 2.3% (95% CI 1.5–3.5) | P < 0.001 |
ICU mortality
- Pooled ICU mortality
- 74.0% (95% CI 63.7-82.1, moderate certainty)
In-hospital mortality
- Pooled in-hospital mortality
- 82.0% (95% CI 75.9-86.9, high certainty)
Shockable rhythm and mortality (meta-regression)
- Proportion of shockable rhythm inversely associated with ICU mortality, but not in-hospital mortality
Original publication
Prevalence and outcomes of in-hospital cardiac arrest in the intensive care unit: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Crit Care. Published 27 February 2026. doi:10.
Composed by AI from the published abstract and checked against it. How Briefs are made →