Resuscitation
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To examine the quality and comprehensiveness of documentation in Paediatric 'cardiac arrests'. ⋯ Documentation of critical resuscitation episodes in children is below recognised standards and this has potential quality of care and medicolegal implications. Current teaching needs to emphasise this essential aspect of clinical care from the earliest level of training.
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To assess the safety and the accuracy of a 4 h stepwise diagnostic approach relying on clinical judgement in unselected patients with acute chest pain. ⋯ The 4 h stepwise approach guided by clinical judgement was safe for ruling out impending cardiac events in unselected patients with acute chest pain. However, more extensive evaluation is necessary for accurate rule-in of coronary chest pain.
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Biography Historical Article
Peter J. Safar. Part two. The University of Pittsburgh to the Safar Centre for Resuscitation Research 1961-2002.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
The effect of seeing the rhythm display on performance of cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
Semiautomated external defibrillators are widely used by prehospital emergency personnel. Some of the devices have a rhythm display and some show only text commands on the screen. To evaluate the effects on cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) performance of seeing the rhythm during resuscitation, 60 fire-fighter students were randomly divided in two groups and trained to use either a defibrillator with a rhythm display or one without a display. ⋯ The teams using a defibrillator with a rhythm display more often interrupted CPR for pulse checks than those who did not see the rhythm (P=0.003). The duration of CPR between rhythm analyses was shorter in the group who saw the rhythm on the screen (P=0.002). Our data suggest that seeing an organised rhythm on a monitor during CPR interferes with adherence to CPR algorithms which may have a negative influence on the performance of CPR.
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Evaluation of outcome after cardiac arrest focuses mainly on survival. Survivors of cardiac arrest end up in different states of health and survival alone may not be a sensitive measure for successful cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). ⋯ When evaluated with EQ-5D at 6-months after ICU discharge, survivors of cardiac arrest exhibit a HR-QOL similar to other ICU survivors. These results agree with previous reports stating that CPR is frequently unsuccessful but if survival is achieved a fairly good quality of life can be expected.