Resuscitation
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Clinical emergency response systems such as medical emergency teams (MET) are used in many hospitals worldwide, but the effect that these systems have in mental health facilities is unknown. This study examined the rate and nature of MET calls to a mental health facility that had relocated to the campus of a tertiary referral hospital. ⋯ The rate of MET calls to a new mental health facility can be similar to that of a tertiary hospital. Staff attending MET calls need to be prepared to manage predominantly neurological and cardiovascular problems.
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Epinephrine is the drug of choice during advanced cardiac life support. The cumulative dose of epinephrine applied during resuscitation was shown to be independently associated with unfavourable outcome after ventricular fibrillation cardiac arrest in humans. Our objective was to investigate the association between the cumulative dose of epinephrine applied during resuscitation and unfavourable functional outcome and in-hospital mortality, in patients with asystole and pulseless electric activity. ⋯ Our results show that an increasing cumulative dose of epinephrine during resuscitation of patients with asystole and pulseless electric activity is an independent risk factor for unfavourable functional outcome and in-hospital mortality.
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To describe a new method of CPR that optimizes vital organ perfusion pressures and carotid blood flow. We tested the hypothesis that a combination of high dose sodium nitroprusside (SNP) as well as non-invasive devices and techniques known independently to enhance circulation would significantly improve carotid blood flow (CBF) and return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) rates in a porcine model of cardiac arrest. ⋯ There was significant improvement in the hemodynamic parameters in the SNP animals. ROSC was achieved in 7/7 animals that received SNP and in 2/8 in the S-CPR (p=0.007). CBF and end tidal CO(2) (ETCO(2)) were significantly higher in the ACD+ITD+AB+SNP (SNPeCPR) animals during CPR. Bolus doses of SNP, when used in conjunction with ACD+ITD+AB CPR, significantly improve CBF and ROSC rates compared to S-CPR.
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Post-resuscitation myocardial dysfunction yields high rates of mortality, but its potential mechanism remains poorly understood. This study investigated whether endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress-mediated apoptosis is activated in the heart after cardiac arrest (CA) and resuscitation. ⋯ ER stress and the CHOP apoptotic pathway are activated in the myocardium after CA and resuscitation. ER stress-mediated apoptosis may be one of the main pathological mechanisms of post-resuscitation myocardial injury.