The Danish in-hospital cardiac arrest registry (DANARREST)

Lars W Andersen,1 Jane N Østergaard,2 Sussie Antonsen,2 Anette Weis,2 Jens Rosenberg,3 Finn L. Henriksen,4 Niels CF Sandgaard,4 Christian Skjærbæk,5 Søren Paaske Johnsen,6 Hans Kirkegaard11Research Center for Emergency Medicine, Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University and Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark; 2RKKP, The Danish Clinical Registries, A National Quality Improvement Programme, Aarhus, Denmark; 3Department of Internal Medicine in Glostrup, Copenhagen University Hospital Amager Hvidovre, Glostrup, Denmark; 4Department of Cardiology, Odense University Hospital, Odense, Denmark; 5Department of Emergency Medicine, Regional Hospital Randers, Randers, Denmark; 6Danish Center for Clinical Health Services Research, Department of Clinical Medicine, Aalborg University, Aalborg, DenmarkAim of database: The aim of DANARREST is to collect data on processes of care and outcomes for patients with in-hospital cardiac arrest in Denmark, and thereby facilitate and monitor quality and quality improvement initiatives.Study population: In-hospital cardiac arrest patients with a clinical indication for cardiopulmonary resuscitation in Denmark.Main variables: DANARREST includes a number of descriptive variables as well as seven quality of care indicators; four related to processes of care and three related to clinical outcomes. The four process measures are related to whether the cardiac arrest was witnessed, whether the cardiac arrest was ECG-monitored, the timing of cardiopulmonary resuscitation, and the timing of the first rhythm analysis. The three outcomes measures include return of spontaneous circulation, 30-day survival, and 1-year survival.Database status: DANARREST started in 2013, and the coverage has increased steadily since. As of 2017, 95% of relevant hospitals are reporting data with an estimated coverage rate of approximately 80%.Conclusion: DANARREST is a relatively new national registry of in-hospital cardiac arrests in Denmark, with a high coverage rate. The registry provides an opportunity to monitor and improve quality of care for patients with in-hospital cardiac arrest.Keywords: Heart arrest, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, Denmark, quality