Resuscitation
-
The physiology behind sudden violent death is considered in the light of information from a wide variety of clinical, experimental, forensic and veterinary sources. Physiological causes can be classified under the headings of blood loss; asphyxia; electrocution; tissue loss; destruction of brain; disconnection of brain; and poisoning. Death, although sudden, is not necessarily instantaneous; asphyxia and electrocution take some time to kill the subjects. ⋯ The chemistry of dying, death and changes post mortem, needs more research in order to design further rational resuscitation procedures.
-
Review Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
The Public Access Defibrillation (PAD) trial: study design and rationale.
The PAD Trial is a prospective, multicenter, randomized clinical study testing whether volunteer, non-medical responders can improve survival from out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OOH-CA) by using automated external defibrillators (AEDs). These lay volunteers, who have no traditional responsibility to respond to a medical emergency as part of their primary job description, will form part of a comprehensive, integrated community approach to the treatment of OOH-CA. The study is being conducted at 24 field centers in the United States and Canada. ⋯ The primary endpoint is the number of OOH-CA victims who survive to hospital discharge. Secondary endpoints include neurological status, health-related quality of life (HRQL), cost, and cost-effectiveness. Data collection will last approximately 15 months and is expected to be completed in September 2003.