Shahram Ala - Department of Clinical Pharmacy. Faculty of Pharmacy, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran
Abbas Alipour - Thalassemia Research Center, Department of Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran
Fatemeh Faramarzi - Department of Clinical Pharmacy. Faculty of Pharmacy, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran
Khadijeh Farkhondeh - Imam Khomeini General Hospital, Mazandaran province, Noor, Iran

Despite the reduction of mortality rate in the past years, coronary artery diseases (CADs) are the main reason of death in the world. Many factors including changes in nurses and medical staffs, numbers of beds influence the mortality rate of patients admitted in holidays and night time. The objectives of this study were to clarify the association between mortality rate and off-hours and holidays in patients admitted to the cardiac care unit (CCU) of Noor General Hospital. This is a retrospective study of ۱۸۶ hospitalized patients in CCU that suffered cardiac arrest during ۱۰ years. Patients 'data was gathered in a questionnaire including information about sex, date and cause of hospitalization and cardiac arrest, CPR duration, admission in working hours, off-hours and holidays. Data showed that patients were between the ages of ۲۱ to ۸۸ years old (۶۶.۹۲ ± ۵۲.۱۲), and ۹۲ patients (۵۰%) were female. Time of admission of ۱۴۶ deceased patients (۷۹.۵%) and time of CPR of ۱۴۵ of them (۷۸.۹%) were in off- hours and holidays. Patients who had died of pulmonary embolism were admitted in the evenings and holidays. Cardiac arrest and CPR of hospitalized patients diagnosed with cardiogenic shock and chronic renal failure were in the evening shift and holidays, too. Higher mortality of CCU patients  admitted during nights, evening hours, and holidays or when CPR were performed on them during these times  showed that patient care and diagnostic and treating procedures were not performed effectively; and this issue could be  due to the fewer number of physicians, nurses or fatigue of staffs at night hours.

Mortality, CCU, holidays, off- hours, CPR