Annals of emergency medicine
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The American Heart Association (AHA) currently recommends the precordial thump as the initial maneuver in treatment of ventricular tachycardia (VT) and monitored ventricular fibrillation (VF). These recommendations are based largely on anecdotal reports of successful "thump-version" of asystole, VF, and VT. The Milwaukee County Paramedic System follows the AHA guidelines in the treatment of VT and VF. ⋯ In the prehospital setting the precordial thump is usually not beneficial, and may be detrimental. Thus its use as the initial maneuver in treating the cardiac arrest patient with VT or VF in this setting cannot be supported. The presence of acidosis and hypoxia may explain why prehospital precordial thump responses differ from those seen in the hospital environment.
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Historical Article
Cardiopulmonary resuscitation research 1960-1984: discoveries and advances.
The 24-year history of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) can be divided into four eras. The first (1960-1962) was the era of serendipitous discovery and description of "closed-chest cardiac massage" by Kouwenhoven and colleagues. Closed-chest heart massage was combined with artificial ventilation, and became known as CPR. ⋯ The effectiveness had become established through widespread use in coronary care units, catheterization laboratories, and prehospital emergency systems, and open-chest cardiac massage was completely supplanted by CPR in virtually every resuscitation effort. The current era (1976-present) is the era of rediscovery and refinement, beginning with the observation that blood flow and pressure can be generated during cardiac arrest by coughing ("cough CPR"), without actual compression of the chest or heart, and that augmentation of arterial pressure and carotid blood flow resulted from simultaneous compression and ventilation (SCV-CPR or "new CPR"). The current era has provided a new explanation of the mechanism of blood flow during CPR and alternative methods of maintaining perfusion during cardiac arrest.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
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Standard external CPR (SECPR) steps A, B, and C can maintain the brain's viability if started immediately, but not after prolonged arrest times. "New CPR" (simultaneous ventilation-compression CPR, SVC-CPR) is not suitable for basic life support, and may not be physiologically superior to optimally performed SECPR. The superiority of interposed abdominal compression CPR (IAC-CPR) over SECPR for basic life support is also uncertain. Open-chest CPR is physiologically superior to all external CPR methods studied thus far. ⋯ Barbiturates have been shown to exert no breakthrough effect on outcome after cardiac arrest, but are safe in the hands of those skilled in advanced intensive care. Barbiturates may be of adjunctive value after prolonged cardiac arrest, particularly when used to suppress seizures, facilitate controlled ventilation, and reduce intracranial pressure. Calcium entry blockers have been shown in animal models to improve hemodynamics and cerebral outcome postarrest, but not consistently.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
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Cardiac output using the currently recommended closed-chest cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) technique is marginal (less than 30% of control), and eventually will result in tissue hypoperfusion and lactic acidemia. Intermittent sodium bicarbonate administration currently is recommended for treatment of this metabolic acidemia, and based on available data recommended dosages are empiric but sound. In this review the potential complications of acidemia and sodium bicarbonate administration are considered from the viewpoint of resuscitation outcome. In our opinion, available data are limited, and further evaluation and consideration of sodium bicarbonate requirements in the resuscitation setting are required.