Resuscitation
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Multicenter Study
Preliminary experience with a prospective, multi-centered evaluation of out-of-hospital endotracheal intubation.
Previous out-of-hospital airway management data are limited by small, single-site designs. We sought to evaluate the feasibility of performing a prospective, multi-centered evaluation of out-of-hospital endotracheal intubation (ETI) using a standardized data collection tool. ⋯ We successfully obtained complete data for the majority of ETI attempted across multiple EMS services. Our data also indicate the need to address problems with non-response. Preliminary cross-sectional data highlight areas of current interest in out-of-hospital airway management.
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Programs for research and practice in resuscitation have focused on identification and reversal of ventricular fibrillation (VF). While substantial progress has been achieved, evidence is accumulating that clinical death is less likely to be caused by fibrillation now than in the 1960s and 1970s. Pulseless electrical activity (PEA) has emerged as the most common rhythm found in arrests in the hospital and is rapidly rising in pre-hospital reports. ⋯ VF is a manifestation of severe, undiagnosed coronary artery disease (CAD). Rates of death from CAD increased from rare in 1930 to become the most common cause of death in the US. CAD death rates peaked in the early 1960s and had declined over 50% by the late 1990s. Primary and secondary prevention, early diagnosis and aggressive, successful treatment have contributed to this decline. PEA is a brief phase in clinical death that occurs after losses in consciousness, ventilatory drive and circulation but before decay to asystole; survival rates are poor. PEA is a common stage in clinical death from any of a variety of tissue hypoxic/anoxic insults. Research on PEA is needed; 50 years of attention to CAD and VF have resulted in improved survival and changed the disease spectrum. Similar attention to animal and clinical research on PEA may have the potential to improve survival.
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Case Reports
Revisiting the cardiac versus thoracic pump mechanism during cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
The mechanism of forward blood flow due to external chest compressions during cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) remains controversial, with the main theories being based on either a cardiac, or thoracic pump mechanism. Both potential mechanisms are well investigated by echocardiographic assessment. In the present case, a postoperative complication of cardiac tamponade that was detected by a thoracoabdominal CT-scan, led to cardiac arrest with subsequent successful CPR over 15 min until definitive surgical management was performed. This observation suggests that the thoracic pump mechanism may have been the predominant mechanism of forward blood flow in the present case of a pericardial tamponade.
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To describe the outcome in the Utstein style for out of hospital cardiac arrest in Gothenburg, over a period of 19 years. ⋯ In this large Utstein style study of out of hospital cardiac arrest stretching over almost 19 years, we report high survival rates both for patients suffering a bystander-witnessed cardiac arrest, and for the subgroup suffering a bystander-witnessed cardiac arrest with VF as the first recorded rhythm. These high survival rates can in part be explained by the short time intervals from calls being received by the emergency dispatch centre (EDC) to the arrival of the emergency medical service at the scene.
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Comparative Study
Comparison of ease of use of three automated external defibrillators by untrained lay people.
The use of automated external defibrillators (AED) by lay people has the potential to markedly increase survival from community cardiac arrest. Wider public use of AEDs requires units that can be operated safely and effectively by people with minimal or no training. This study compares the use of three AEDs by untrained lay people regarding ease-of-use, safety, pad positioning and time to defibrillation. 24 subjects with no prior exposure to the use of AEDs were asked to perform simulated defibrillation on a manikin using three defibrillators: Zoll AEDPlus, Medtronic Physio-Control LifePak CR Plus and Philips/Laerdal HeartStart OnSite Defibrillator. ⋯ The majority of subjects safely and effectively delivered defibrillating shocks without any prior training and within quite acceptable times. Untrained subjects find the Physio-Control and Laerdal Defibrillator easier to use than the Zoll device. Features of AED design that improved ease of use are discussed.