Resuscitation
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Death from exposure to cold has been recognised for thousands of years but hypothermia as a clinical condition was not generally recognised until the mid-20th century and then only in extreme conditions such as immersion in cold water or snow. In the UK, hypothermia in less extreme conditions was not generally recognised until the 1960s. Recognition of hypothermia required the temperature to be measured and this did not become a clinical tool until the late 1800s and it was not used routinely until the early 1900s. Although John Hunter and James Curry did some physiological experiments in the 1700s, detailed physiological experiments were not done until the early 20th century and the use of therapeutic hypothermia for malignancy and in anaesthesia in the 1930s and 1940s provided more impetus for investigating the physiology of hypothermia in humans and familiarising the medical profession with measuring core temperatures.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study
Performer fatigue and CPR quality comparing 30:2 to 15:2 compression to ventilation ratios in older bystanders: A randomized crossover trial.
We sought to compare bystander fatigue and CPR quality after 5min of CPR using the 30:2 vs. the 15:2 chest compression:ventilation ratios in a population of older participants. ⋯ In this study of older volunteers, the 30:2 CPR ratio resulted in similar objective measures of fatigue, but higher perceived fatigue than the 15:2 ratio. The 30:2 ratio resulted in proportionally more inadequate compressions.
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Comparative Study
A rapid, safe, and low-cost technique for the induction of mild therapeutic hypothermia in post-cardiac arrest patients.
The benefits of inducing mild therapeutic hypothermia (MTH) in cardiac arrest patients are well established. Timing and speed of induction have been related to improved outcomes in several animal trials and one human study. We report the results of an easily implemented, rapid, safe, and low-cost protocol for the induction of MTH. ⋯ A protocol using a combination of core and surface cooling modalities was rapid, safe, and low cost in achieving MTH. The cooling rate of 2.6°C/h was superior to most published protocols. This method uses readily available equipment and reduces the need for costly commercial devices.