Resuscitation
-
Comparative Study
Superiority of hypertonic saline/dextran over hypertonic saline during the first 30 min of resuscitation following hemorrhagic hypotension in conscious swine.
We compared the effectiveness of intravenously administering hypertonic saline/dextran (HSD; 7.5% NaCl in 6% Dextran-70, n = 6) to hypertonic saline (HS) alone (7.5% NaCl, n = 8) in rectifying detrimental effects of hemorrhage on cardiovascular function. Chronically instrumented conscious swine were hemorrhaged 37.5 ml/kg over 60 min. If untreated, this model is 100% lethal within 60 min. ⋯ Neither group fully sustained these elevated values post-treatment, but remained consistently greater than values after hemorrhage; however, the difference in CI between treatments was maintained. Oxygen delivery showed a trend similar to that of CI. We conclude that resuscitation with HSD is superior to HS in improving cardiovascular function over the first 30 min after hemorrhage.
-
Central venous catheterization is one of the most common invasive vascular procedures performed in hospitals today. Though catheter related sepsis occurs only in a small percentage of catheterized patients, this complication has a tremendous impact due to the ubiquitous use of central venous catheters and consequent morbidity and even mortality. ⋯ Particular emphasis is placed upon recent research and clinical advances in this field, which have clarified important question and suggested promising approaches to the prevention and treatment of catheter bacteremia. The excessive morbidity and mortality due to catheter-related sepsis can be markedly decreased, by attention to simple infection control methods, and by future implementation of new experimental techniques.
-
Comparative Study
Cardiopulmonary resuscitation with simultaneous chest and abdominal compression: comparative study in humans.
To assess the efficacy of the simultaneous application of chest and abdominal compression (SCAC) in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), we performed a prospective study on 18 patients shortly after cardiac arrest. Three different CPR procedures were carried out consecutively: (1) Standard CPR; (2) CPR interposed with abdominal compression (IAC-CPR); and (3) SCAC-CPR. Standard CPR was repeated at the end of each sequence. ⋯ Systolic aortic pressures were 39.02 +/- 21 mmHg, 63.6 +/- 21 mmHg and 94.04 +/- 21 mmHg during standard CPR, IAC-CPR and SCAC-CPR, respectively (P less than 0.001). There was no evidence of intra-abdominal injury in the eight autopsies performed. We have reached the conclusion that the use of SCAC-CPR on humans does produce greater intravascular pressure and we recommend this technique as a possible alternative to standard CPR.
-
This study examined the theoretical knowledge and practical skills of different medical profession personnel and medical students in Basic Cardiac Life Support (BCLS). Two hundred twenty-four candidates who attended a BCLS course were tested in their theoretical knowledge of BCLS with 15 multiple choice questions (MCQs) as a pre-test. The same questions were included in the post-test but with a different sequence. ⋯ It is concluded that no assumption based on previous clinical knowledge should be made for the expected CPR performance of all doctors, regardless of speciality. Formal training programs in medical schools should be considered. Our data also indicate that training is the only objective way to improve performance of all the candidates including the medical students.