Resuscitation
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To describe the epidemiology of children and young adults suffering from out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. ⋯ Children and young adults suffering from out-of-hospital cardiac arrest differed from adults in terms of aetiology and observed initial arrhythmia. Children had a particularly bad outcome whereas young adults had a similar outcome as adults.
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A tremendous amount of public resources are focused on improving cardiac arrest (OHCA) survival in public places, yet most OHCAs occur in private residences. ⋯ Many important characteristics of cardiac arrest patients and the bystander differ in public versus private locations. Fundamentally different strategies are needed to improve survival from these events.
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Several reports demonstrate non-specific hyperamylasemia in cardiac surgery or diabetic ketoacidosis. We report here for the first time non-specific hyperamylasemia in a cardiovascular beri-beri case who showed shock with severe metabolic acidosis. Her echocardiography revealed hyperkinetic wall motion of the small left ventricle. ⋯ Thiamine administration dramatically reversed her haemodynamic derangements, metabolic acidosis and even relieved her abdominal pain. Isozyme examinations for hyperamylasemia showed that most of the serum amylase consisted of salivary type. This case report expands our information on non-specific hyperamylasemia encountered in the emergency setting.
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Comparative Study
Effect of amiodarone on haemodynamics during cardiopulmonary resuscitation in a canine model of resistant ventricular fibrillation.
Amiodarone has been shown to be superior to both placebo and lidocaine in improving survival to hospital admission for victims of out-of-hospital refractory ventricular fibrillation. Concern had been expressed about the known vasodilatatory effects of amiodarone if given without precedent vasoconstrictive medications. The haemodynamic effects of intravenous amiodarone administered during ongoing CPR have not been systemically investigated. Our intention was to verify if amiodarone alone produced significantly lower resuscitation haemodynamics than did either adrenaline (epinephrine) alone or the combination of amiodarone and adrenaline. ⋯ Amiodarone can be safely administered simultaneously in combination with adrenaline and such a combination results in similar haemodynamic support as adrenaline alone. Amiodarone administered alone produces significantly lower coronary perfusion pressure than when combined with adrenaline.