Comatose survivors of cardiac arrest notoriously have poor
outcomes including significant neurological deficits and
persistent vegetative state. Although there is variation in
incidence and outcomes, epidemiologic studies suggest that
between one and five of every 1,000 patients admitted to a
hospital in Western countries suffer an in-hospital cardiac
arrest [1], with the National Registry of Cardiopulmonary
Resuscitation citing an incidence of 0.175 events per bed in
a sample of American hospitals [2]. There is a wide range
of reported survival to hospital discharge, from 0% to 42%,
with larger studies approaching an average of 20% [1].