Resuscitation
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To determine predictability of at-scene cardiac arrest from a dispatch determined patient history of seizure or epilepsy ("E" history). ⋯ Knowing whether a seizure patient is an epileptic or has had previous seizures is of clinical value and relevant to dispatch. By improving the discernment of the seizure protocol regarding seizure associated with anoxic cardiac arrest predictability, this information may now be applied at the response level as well as to emergency medical dispatcher's (EMD) decisions to stay on the telephone to enhance the monitoring of these patients.
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Comparative Study
A preliminary feasibility study of a short DVD-based distance-learning package for basic life support.
To test the hypothesis that laypeople who learn CPR using an 8-min self-instructional DVD acquire a level of skill that is comparable to that achieved with conventional courses. ⋯ Very short, DVD-based, self-instructional packages may be suitable for more widespread use, including distance-learning and other circumstances in which educational opportunities and resources are limited.
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Delivering alternating currency (AC) to right ventricular endocardium to induce ventricular fibrillation (VF) in mice is complicated. We tried to validate whether transoesophageal AC stimulation could induce VF and how long AC stimulation had to be sustained to prevent the spontaneous cardioversion of VF in mice. ⋯ VF can be induced by a short period of transoesophageal AC stimulation in mice. However, prolonged AC stimulation is prone to induce PEA other than VF. Nonetheless, the development of a mouse CA model in this manner is simpler and easier, which may have practical significance for facilitating experimental investigation on CA and CPR.
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To develop a clinically relevant experimental model of cardiac arrest and CPR in which a partial occlusion of the left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD) is maintained during the resuscitation procedure and the initial post-resuscitation interval. ⋯ In this model of prolonged untreated cardiac arrest, maintaining a partial occlusion of the LAD during CPR and the initial post-resuscitation interval required a greater number of shocks before ROSC, increased severity of post-resuscitation myocardial dysfunction significantly and yielded less favourable outcomes.