Background: The efficacy of sodium bicarbonate (SB) administration during in-hospital cardiac arrest (IHCA) for treatment of acidosis is not well described. The available literature has only evaluated out-of-hospital arrest events in patients with suspected acidosis caused by prolonged arrest.
Objective: This study evaluated SB and its effects on return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) in patients experiencing IHCA, based on presence of acidosis at baseline as determined by prearrest bicarbonate levels.
Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of patients who all received intravenous SB during IHCA. Patients with prearrest bicarbonate levels >21 mmol/L (nonacidotic group) were compared with those with prearrest bicarbonate levels ≤21 mmol/L (acidotic group) for the primary outcome of ROSC.
Results: A total of 225 patients (102 acidotic, 123 nonacidotic) were evaluated. Asystole (37.3% vs 34.1%; P = 0.63) and pulseless electrical activity (30.4% vs 29.3%; P = 0.85) were the most common presenting rhythms. There were no differences in ROSC in the overall population (53.9% vs 48.8%; P = 0.44) or between those who had early (within 20 minutes) or delayed (after 20 minutes) ROSC. Secondary outcomes, including cardiopulmonary resuscitation duration, epinephrine administration, and total SB, were similar between groups.
Conclusions and relevance: In this cohort study, administration of SB for IHCA in patients with prearrest acidosis was not associated with increased incidence of ROSC compared with those without prearrest acidosis. Our data suggest that there may be no benefit to the administration of SB in the setting of IHCA, regardless of prearrest acidotic status. Further investigation into the effect of SB for treatment of acidosis in IHCA is warranted.
Keywords: acid base balance; advanced cardiac life support; cardiopulmonary resuscitation; clinical pharmacology; emergency medicine.