Resuscitation
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Early bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is essential for survival from out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). Young people are potentially important bystander CPR providers, as basic life support (BLS) training can be distributed widely as part of the school curriculum. ⋯ Young Norwegians are motivated to perform bystander CPR, but barriers are still seen when more detailed cardiac arrest scenarios are presented. By providing students with good quality BLS training in school, the upcoming generation in Norway may strengthen the first part of the chain of survival in OHCA.
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To characterize the survival rate for out-of-hospital arrests of cardiac aetiology and predictor variables associated with survival in Boston, MA, and to develop a composite multivariate logistic regression model for projecting survival rates. ⋯ The unique model describes the major contribution of VF/VT and ROSC, and key relationships among predictors of survival. These connections may have otherwise gone underreported using standard approaches and should be considered when allocating scarce resources to impact cardiac arrest survival.
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To develop an early warning score (EWS) system based on the statistical properties of the vital signs in at-risk hospitalised patients. ⋯ A centile-based EWS system will identify patients with abnormal vital signs regardless of their eventual outcome and might therefore be more likely to generate an alert when presented with patients with redeemable morbidity or avoidable mortality. We are about to start a stepped-wedge clinical trial gradually introducing an electronic version of our EWS system on the trauma wards in a teaching hospital.
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The aim of this study was to study exercise-related cardiac arrests on the tennis court and investigate the impact of early initiation of cardiopulmonary resuscitation on survival rate and outcome. ⋯ Cardiac arrest on the tennis court is a predominantly witnessed event with a respectively high rate of bystander CPR, which reflects in a high successful survival rate.
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In the last decade, many regionalized centers for the care of post-cardiac arrest patients (cardiac arrest centers) have all independently developed with a common goal of providing multi-disciplinary and organized care plans for this patient population. The American Heart Association recently issued support for regionalized and organized comprehensive care for post-arrest patients through a position paper as well as the 2010 American Heart Association BLS/ACLS guidelines. This paper outlines the formation, structure, and implementation of four cardiac arrest centers, and also discusses a statewide model of post-arrest center care. This paper may assist other potential clinical sites that are considering or actively developing cardiac arrest centers of their own.