American heart journal
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American heart journal · Jan 1999
ReviewCardiopulmonary resuscitation: historical perspective to recent investigations.
There are at least 300,000 cardiac arrests annually in the United States. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) effectively restores hemodynamic stability, return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC), in 40% to 60% of arrests. Prolonged survival is significantly lower because of underlying illness and the postresuscitation syndrome, specifically central nervous system injury and left ventricular stunning after resuscitation. ⋯ Active compression-decompression and interposed abdominal compressions improved ROSC in prospective randomized trials; abdominal compressions have also been shown to increase survival to hospital discharge. Despite 30 years of research, CPR is now performed much as it was initially. Further research into the mechanisms of cardiac arrest, development of predictive models, and improved means to improve cardiac output and survival are needed.