Resuscitation
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Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is a vital skill which must be mastered by all health care professionals. The General Dental Council recommends that it is taught to all UK dental undergraduates. ⋯ Only 64% (9/14) of respondents thought their students received enough training to be able to cope with the initial stages of an emergency on their own. Thus, although the level of BLS training is probably acceptable at present, further improvement of CPR training in UK Dental Schools is advisable.
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Prior to establishing a protocol for pre-arrival instructions for cardio-pulmonary resuscitation in the Vienna emergency medical system dispatch centre, a study was performed to determine whether any problems exist which may compromise guidance for basic life-support on the telephone. To evaluate the feasibility of prearrival instructions, a retrospective analysis of cardiac arrest calls was performed. We reviewed the Vienna emergency medical services dispatch centre tape recordings, ambulance run sheets and the hospital charts of 114 patients suffering from atraumatic cardiac arrest. ⋯ Not one caller was distraught. Our data show that most objections to the feasibility of pre-arrival instructions can be refuted. We conclude that in Vienna the setting and location of arrest will impose few problems on the performance of bystander-cardio-pulmonary resuscitation using pre-arrival instructions given by dispatchers.
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Case Reports
Unexpected return of cardiac action after termination of cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
Application of sodium bicarbonate is still an option when resuscitation efforts remain unsuccessful. Despite this, there are no recommendations on how long resuscitation should be performed after administration of this drug. ⋯ Seven minutes after all efforts had been discontinued, spontaneous sinus rhythm appeared from a zero-line ECG, giving normal hemodynamic values. The underlying reason might be unexpected and unrecognized hyperkalemia, which was diminished by administration of sodium bicarbonate, even under the conditions of cardiocirculatory arrest.