Resuscitation
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Despite a consistent association with improved outcomes, public automated external defibrillators (AEDs) are rarely used in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. One of the barriers towards increased use might be cost-effectiveness. ⋯ Public AEDs are a cost-effective public health intervention in the United States. These findings support widespread dissemination of public AEDs.
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Observational Study
Association of sudden in-hospital cardiac arrest with emergency department crowding.
In Taiwan, emergency department (ED) crowding is inevitable; many studies have investigated the various negative effects of ER crowding on patients. In general, ED crowding reduces patient satisfaction, delays treatment, and increases mortality. However, most studies have focused on the relationship between ED crowding and delay mortality rather than sudden mortality. This study investigates the association of ED crowding with sudden unexpected in-hospital cardiac arrest (IHCA). ⋯ This first study investigating the relationship between ED crowding and sudden IHCA found EDBORs and prolonged boarding to general wards or ICUs were associated with increased sudden IHCA incidence.
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Laryngeal tubes (LT) are supraglottic airway devices routinely used in emergency airway management. During cardiac arrest in a swine model, the carotid artery blood flow is reduced after insertion of a LT. A compression of the internal carotid (ICA) artery by the inflated cuff was shown. Up to now there is no information if the LT has similar effects in humans with possible negative implications for use of the LT in case of cardiac arrest. ⋯ In humans the LT does not impair blood flow of the internal carotid artery during ventilation in general anaesthesia. Further studies are needed to confirm our findings under the conditions of cardiac arrest.
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In terms of treatment options, the underlying cause of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) has an impact on survival. This study aimed to examine the frequencies of different causes of OHCA and their outcomes using data from a national resuscitation registry. ⋯ The most common causes of OHCA are cardiac events and hypoxia. Depending on the underlying cause, outcome after pre-hospital CPR varies widely with a survival rate with good neurological outcome ranging from 0.9 to 14%.
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Survival after cardiac arrest depends on adequate cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). Manual or mechanical external chest compression may be ineffective to restore circulation: structures subjected to external chest compression may differ in forces transfer to intrathoracic structures due to anatomic characteristics and physiological changes. This clinical study aims to assess the association of trans-oesophageal findings during CPR and successful resuscitation. ⋯ Trans-oesophageal echocardiography can be useful in the emergency setting of cardiopulmonary arrest for discriminating between successful and failing resuscitation.