Therapeutische Umschau. Revue thérapeutique
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Guidelines in cardiopulmonary resuscitation [CPR] improve survival of patients in cardiac arrest. Programs with both Basic Life Support [BLS], promptly initiated, and early defibrillation must be designed to motivate persons trained in prehospital CPR. ⋯ Administration of 1.0 mg epinephrine iv as the drug of choice, followed by defibrillation [360 J] in patients with recurrent/persistent VF remains gold standard in Advanced Cardiac Life Support [ACLS]; epinephrine administered in the same, or higher, dosage can be repeated every 3-5 minutes followed by defibrillation within 30-60 seconds. Management of asystole and pulseless electrical activity is discussed, including the necessity to search for treatable causes as one major action, in addition to performing ACLS and administering epinephrine.