Resuscitation
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The earliest initiation of mild hypothermia after resuscitation from cardiac arrest is crucial. This study aimed to evaluate the feasibility and safety of out-of-hospital surface cooling in such cases. ⋯ Non-invasive surface cooling immediately after resuscitation from cardiac arrest, in the out-of-hospital setting, proved to be feasible, fast and safe. Whether early cooling will improve neurological outcome needs to be determined in future studies.
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The objective of this study was to identify prognostic predictors for the patients experiencing cardiogenic shock who required the institution of intra-aortic balloon counterpulsation (IABP). ⋯ This study has illustrated that age, renal function, and etiology-related cardiac injury are predictors for in-hospital course and mortality in those who experienced cardiogenic shock with IABP. The optimal strategy for revascularization in this high-risk group needs further validation.
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Cardiopulmonary resuscitation by manual cardiac compression can restore cardiocirculatory function but can also injure patients. Commonly reported are skeletal fractures of the rips and sternum, while injuries to the large thoracic vessels will frequently be lethal. ⋯ Stenotic segments of coronary arteries were treated successfully by implantation of three drug-eluting stents followed by dual antiplatelet therapy. The patients recovered almost completely and was discharged for further rehabilitation after 3 weeks.
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The 2005 International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation (ILCOR) Consensus on Science and Treatment Recommendations document represents the most extensive and rigorous systematic review of the resuscitation literature to date and included evidence-based recommendations for post-resuscitation care. A new recommendation for the induction of mild therapeutic hypothermia for comatose cardiac arrest survivors was included in this document. Accordingly, constituent national member associations of ILCOR, including the American Heart Association, incorporated the recommendation for therapeutic hypothermia into their respective guidelines. ⋯ Despite the cost and effort associated with the production of these guidelines and the potential impact on patient care, current efforts in implementing the guideline have not achieved widespread success. This commentary explores the issue of underutilization of the American Heart Association guidelines for therapeutic hypothermia and looks to the knowledge translation literature to inform a new approach to implementation. We will review the underlying phenomenon of research implementation into practice, specific barriers to guideline implementation and interventions that may improve therapeutic hypothermia uptake.
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The aim of present study was to examine whether systemically delivered glial cell-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) was beneficial in reversing the spinal cord injury (SCI) in a spinal cord compression model. Rats were divided into three major groups: (1) sham operation (laminectomy only); (2) laminectomy+SCI+normal saline (1 ml/kg, i.v.); (3) laminectomy+SCI+GDNF (50 ng/kg, i.v.). Spinal cord injury was induced by compressing the spinal cord for 1 min with an aneurysm clip calibrated to a closing pressure of 55 g. ⋯ It was found that systemically delivered GDNF, but not vehicle solution, significantly attenuated the SCI-induced hind limb dysfunction and spinal cord infarction and apoptosis. Both GDNF and VEGF could be detected in the injury spinal cord after GDNF, but not vehicle solution, therapy. The results indicate that GDNF treatment may be beneficial in reversing hind limb dysfunction by reducing spinal cord infarction and apoptosis in a spinal cord compression model.