Resuscitation
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The present study evaluates a new CPR feedback application for the iPhone (iCPR) designed to improve chest compression performance tested in a cardiac arrest simulation to evaluate performance and acceptance by healthcare professionals and lay people. ⋯ The iCPR feedback tool was able to significantly improve the performance of chest compressions in terms of the compression rate in a simulated cardiac arrest scenario. The participants also believed that iCPR helped them to achieve the correct chest compression rate and most users found this device easy to use.
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Comparative Study
Hyperoxic ventilation improves survival in pigs during endotoxaemia at the critical hemoglobin concentration.
Recently it has been demonstrated that short term hyperoxic ventilation (HV) can improve glucose metabolism, reduce pulmonary and hepatic apoptosis, and improve gastrointestinal perfusion during acute sepsis. However, it is unknown whether additional O(2) improves survival. Therefore we investigated the effects of increased plasma O(2) on survival during extreme anaemia and concomitant endotoxaemia in order to quantify the efficacy of HV. ⋯ The improvement of survival, oxygen transport and tissue oxygenation seems to underline the efficacy of HV during endotoxaemia and concomitant acute anaemia. Further studies are needed to transfer these results into daily clinical practice.
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Comparative Study
How accurately can the aetiology of cardiac arrest be established in an out-of-hospital setting? Analysis by "concordance in diagnosis crosscheck tables".
Several previous studies have focused on establishing the cause of cardiac arrest (CA) during cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) provided in an out-of-hospital setting. ⋯ This study demonstrates the importance of analysing concordance in presumed and definitive diagnosis of individual cases, since an overall comparison in a cohort of cases may be highly misleading. It introduces the method of the crosscheck table for visualization and comparison of presumed and final diagnoses. The two alternative approaches of inclusion rule for applying the thrombolytic therapy in out-of-hospital care were discussed with regard to the recent TROICA study.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study
A comparison of paediatric airway anatomy with the SimBaby high-fidelity patient simulator.
The SimBaby high-fidelity patient simulator is a widely used paediatric simulator for the training of standard and critical airway management scenarios. Furthermore this simulator is frequently used for the evaluation of different airway devices and techniques. However, the anatomic structures of the SimBaby have not been compared to actual patients' anatomy. ⋯ The anatomic features of the SimBaby do not adequately simulate the upper airway anatomy of infants. These results imply inadequate realism of this simulator for airway training and compromise the validity of comparative trials of different airway devices with the SimBaby as airway model.
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Controversy exists around CPR in the elderly. The characteristics and outcomes of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) in this age group were studied in Melbourne, Australia. ⋯ Outcomes for OHCA with shockable rhythm have improved over the last 10 years for people aged 65 years and over. Quality of life studies should be performed to help inform the community and EMS on appropriate resuscitative efforts.