Cardiac arrest: avoid nights and weekend: study ... at least partly because of inadequate staffing ...

Cardiac arrest: avoid nights and weekend: study | Tue Feb 19, 2008 4:16pm EST | By Julie Steenhuysen

CHICAGO (Reuters) - People who have a cardiac arrest in the hospital at night or on the weekend are far less likely to survive than those who suffer one during the day, U.S. researchers said on Tuesday.

Studies suggest this may be at least partly because of inadequate staffing at off-peak hours.

The researchers found only 14.7 percent of people whose hearts stop pumping during the night survive, compared with nearly 20 percent of people during the day. ...