Current opinion in critical care
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We presume that biomarkers will improve identification of patients at risk, leading to interventions and treatments that reduce perioperative adverse events. Risk stratification is multifactorial, and a biomarker must add information to this process, thereby redistributing patients to either higher or lower risk categories, to improve the allocation of expensive and risky interventions. This review focuses on the utility of three cardiac biomarkers in perioperative management. ⋯ The findings here suggest an expanded role for postoperative cTn surveillance; however, the precise populations that benefit, or the interventions required, are not yet defined. The encouraging data for the other two biomarkers need more investigations before adopting them into routine clinical use.
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Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is a fundamental component of initial care for the victim of cardiac arrest. In the past few years, increasing quantitative evidence has demonstrated that survival from cardiac arrest is dependent on the quality of delivered CPR. This review will focus on this body of evidence and on a range of practical approaches to improving CPR performance. ⋯ A number of strategies have been evaluated to improve CPR performance. While many questions remain surrounding the relative value of each approach, it is likely that combinations of these methods may be useful in a variety of care settings to improve care for cardiac arrest victims.