Resuscitation
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Comparative Study
Delayed platelet dysfunction in prolonged induced canine hypothermia.
Mild to moderate hypothermia (33-32 degrees C) is recognized as beneficial for brain protection after brain trauma. However, there are few experimental reports on hemostatic changes during prolonged hypothermia. We compared hemostatic changes during 72 h of mild to moderate hypothermia with data in normothermic dogs. ⋯ Long-term hypothermia induced platelet dysfunction, leading to decreased platelet aggregation and prolonged coagulation time (R and K times of TEG).
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To describe the epidemiology, resuscitation factors and prognosis among a consecutive population of patients suffering from out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) where pulseless electrical activity (PEA) was the first arrhythmia recorded on emergency medical services (EMS) arrival. ⋯ Survival among patients suffering from OHCA and PEA is poor, especially among the elderly unwitnessed cases and those who do not receive bystander CPR. The latter seems to be of utmost importance among these patients.
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To describe our outcomes using thrombolysis during the cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) of patients in cardiorespiratory arrest (CA) caused by fulminant pulmonary embolism (FPE). ⋯ Early thrombolysis during CPR manoeuvres for CA apparently caused by an FPE may reduce the mortality rate among these patients.
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The components of the 'chain of survival' remain the strongest pathway to save more people from out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. The 'Utstein Style' terminology has been applied to this study to evaluate survival in patients cared for by Emergency Medical Technicians--Defibrillation (EMT-D) and physicians in a rural alpine area. ⋯ With the exception of publications on avalanche victims and mountaineers, there are no reports of patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in alpine areas. Response intervals and survival rate are not as poor as might be expected and are similar to metropolitan areas.
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Spontaneous subarachnoid haemorrhage as a cause of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest is poorly evaluated. We analyse disease-specific and emergency care data in order to improve the recognition of subarachnoid haemorrhage as a cause of cardiac arrest. ⋯ Subarachnoid haemorrhage complicated by cardiac arrest is almost always fatal even when a spontaneous circulation can be restored initially. This is due to the severity of brain damage. Subarachnoid haemorrhage may present in young patients without any previous medical history with cardiac arrest masking the diagnosis initially.