Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) after cardiac arrest is utilized indiscriminately among unselected populations. Cancer patients have particularly low rates of return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) and survival to hospital discharge after CPR. Our study determines rates of ROSC and survival to hospital discharge among cancer patients undergoing CPR in our cancer center. We examined whether these rates have changed over the past decade. This IRB-approved retrospective observational study was conducted in our cancer center. The ED and cancer center provide medical care for ≥ 115,000 patients annually. Cases of CPR presenting to the cancer center for years 2003–2012 were identified using Institutional CPR and Administrative Data for Resuscitation and Billing databases. Age, gender, ethnicity, ROSC and Discharge Alive using a modified Utsein template was used to compare proportions achieving ROSC and survival to hospital discharge for two time periods: 2003–2007 (Group 1) and 2008–2012 (Group 2), using traditional Pearson chi-square statistics. One hundred twenty-six cancer center patients received CPR from 2003–2012. Group 1 (N = 64) and Group 2 (N = 62) were similar; age (60 vs. 60 years), gender (63% vs. 58% male), and race/ethnicity (67% vs. 56% White). Proportions achieving ROSC were similar in the two time periods (36% Group 1 vs. 45% Group 2, OR = 1.47, 95% CI 0.72 - 3.00) as was survival to hospital discharge (11% Group 1 vs. 10% Group 2, OR 0.87, 95% CI 0.28 - 2.76). ROSC after CPR in cancer patients and survival to hospital discharge did not change over time.

Background: Though decreasing in incidence and mortality in the USA, lung cancer remains the deadliest of all cancers. For a significant number of patients, the emergency department (ED) provides the first pivotal step in lung cancer prevention, diagnosis, and management. As screening recommendations and treatments advance, ED providers must stay up-to-date with the latest lung cancer recommendations. The purpose of this review is to identify the many ways that emergency providers may intersect with the disease spectrum of lung cancer and provide an updated array of knowledge regarding detection, management, complications, and interdisciplinary care. Findings: Lung cancer, encompassing 10–12% of cancer-related emergency department visits and a 66% admission rate, is the most fatal malignancy in both men and women. Most patients presenting to the ED have not seen a primary care provider or undergone screening. Ultimately, half of those with a new lung cancer diagnosis in the ED die within 1 year. Incidental findings on computed tomography are mostly benign, but emergency staff must be aware of the factors that make them high risk. Radiologic presentations range from asymptomatic nodules to diffuse metastatic lesions with predominately pulmonary symptoms, and some may present with extra-thoracic manifestations including neurologic. The short-term prognosis for ED lung cancer patients is worse than that of other malignancies. Screening offers new hope through earlier diagnosis but is underutilized which may be due to racial and socioeconomic disparities. New treatments provide optimism but lead to new complications, some long-term. Multidisciplinary care is essential, and emergency medicine is responsible for the disposition of patients to the appropriate specialists at inpatient and outpatient centers. Conclusion: ED providers are intimately involved in all aspects of lung cancer care. Risk factor modification and referral for lung cancer screening are opportunities to further enhance patient care. In addition, with the advent of newer cancer therapies, ED providers must stay vigilant and up-to-date with all aspects of lung cancer including disparities, staging, symptoms of disease, prognosis, treatment, and therapy-related complications.

PURPOSEEmergency department observation units (EDOUs) have been shown to decrease length of stay and improve cost effectiveness. Yet, compared with noncancer patients, patients with cancer are plac...

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) outcomes vary for patients with cancer. Here, we characterized cancer patients who underwent CPR in the emergency department (ED), their outcomes, and the effects of advanced care planning (ACP). The hospital databases and electronic medical records of cancer patients at a comprehensive cancer center who underwent CPR in the ED from 6 March 2016 to 31 December 2022 were reviewed for patient characteristics, return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC), conversion to do-not-resuscitate (DNR) status afterward, hospital and intensive care unit (ICU) length of stay, mortality, cost of hospitalization, and prior GOC discussions. CPR occurred in 0.05% of all ED visits. Of the 100 included patients, 67 patients achieved ROSC, with 15% surviving to hospital discharge. The median survival was 26 h, and the 30-day mortality rate was 89%. Patients with and without prior ACP had no significant differences in demographics, metastatic involvement, achievement of ROSC, or in-hospital mortality, but patients with ACP were more likely to change their code status to DNR and had shorter stays in the ICU or hospital. In conclusion, few cancer patients undergo CPR in the ED. Whether this results from an increase in terminally ill patients choosing DNR status requires further study. ACP was associated with increased conversion to DNR after resuscitation and decreased hospital or ICU stays without an increase in overall mortality.