Resuscitation
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Comparative Study
HBOC-201 improves survival in a swine model of hemorrhagic shock and liver injury.
Blunt abdominal trauma that leads to hemorrhagic shock and cardiac arrest is almost always fatal in the prehospital setting. The current study investigated whether a hemoglobin-based oxygen carrier (HBOC-201) could maintain organ viability during an exsanguinating liver injury and allow for prolonged survival. This hypothesis was tested in a large animal model that simulated blunt abdominal trauma with major organ injury. ⋯ HBOC resuscitation during liver bleeding in a swine model of hemorrhagic shock and liver injury allowed for 96 h survival. No fluid or HES in the same model was fatal.
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Clinical Trial
Prevention of deterioration of ventricular fibrillation by basic life support during out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.
Survival of cardiac arrest is improved by basic life support (BLS). This study investigated the relationship between ventricular fibrillation (VF) characteristics and survival. In a 2-year prospective study out-of-hospital witnessed non-traumatic cardiac arrests were observed. ⋯ Our study demonstrated that BLS and VF as initial rhythm, considered being "baseline" predictors in survival models, were proved not independent of each other. The decrease of VF amplitude and increase in prevalence of asystole is slowed significantly by BLS. Predicting survival from VF amplitude and baseline crossings alone is limited.
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Case Reports
A case of severe hyperkalaemia and compartment syndrome due to rhabdomyolysis after drugs abuse.
Severe hyperkalaemia is one of the complications of the non-traumatic rhabdomyolysis, which have been related to drug abuse, alcohol, etc. We report on a case of bilateral tibial compartment syndrome, severe hyperkalaemia and rhabdomyolysis after drug abuse. A 35-year-old male intravenous drug user was admitted to the emergency department after being found unconscious in his cell of the prison. ⋯ Rhabdomyolysis has been reported after drug abuse. There is severe hyperkalaemia which should be identified and treated. A more rare complication of rhabdomyolysis is the compartment syndrome, a surgical emergency, which requires immediate fasciotomy to prevent serious complications.
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To relate the outcome of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest to whether medication with adrenaline (epinephrine) was given and whether patients were intubated. ⋯ In a national survey in Sweden including 10966 cases of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest the outcome was related to whether medication with adrenaline (epinephrine) was given and whether patients were intubated. Neither in total nor in any subgroup did we find results indicating beneficial effects of any of these two interventions. Whether treatment with adrenaline (epinephrine) or intubation will increase survival after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest needs to be confirmed in prospective randomised trials.