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PubMed1997

Current concepts in cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

The "chain of survival" is important in the resuscitation of a patient who has had a cardiac arrest. The provision of Basic Life Support (BLS) and Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) is essential in this "chain of survival." Both BLS and ACLS have undergone several revisions since their initial inception. This article reviews (1) the current established and investigational issues of cardiopulmonary resuscitation, (2) the incidence and outcomes of anesthesia-related cardiac arrest, (3) the use of cardiopulmonary bypass in resuscitation, and (4) cerebral protection during and after resuscitation.

Anesthesia, General↗

PubMed1994

Effect of advanced cardiac life-support training in rural, community hospitals.

OBJECTIVES: To define the effectiveness of training personnel in rural, community hospitals in advanced cardiac life support (ACLS) and the changes that result in the process and quality of care to patients with ischemic heart disease that can be attributed to participation by team members in an ACLS course. DESIGN: Case-controlled, retrospective abstraction of hospital records of 869 consecutive patients with ischemic heart disease, who were admitted during the year preceding and the year following the ACLS course. SETTING: Seven rural, community hospitals in Wisconsin. SUBJECTS: Physicians, nurses, and other critical care staff (others). INTERVENTIONS: Training in ACLS using 12 3-hr sessions in an interdisciplinary format by a multidisciplinary faculty. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Rates of successful attainment of the terminal behavior objectives by physicians and nurses were 84.0% and 78.8%, respectively. Less than 50% of others achieved a satisfactory level of competence. Performance on an examination of cognitive ability improved significantly for all groups (p < .005 for nurses; p < .05 for physicians). Enhancement of knowledge base and integrative skills occurred in all areas of designated ACLS content. Difficulty remained apparent relative to the pharmacologic effects of epinephrine and atropine. No statistically significant deterioration in didactic knowledge base could be detected 1 to 2 yrs after completion of the ACLS course. Slight deterioration in intubation and defibrillation skills occurred in < 3 months after completion of the course. Substantial costs were encumbered by the hospitals, despite the free training provided to the institutions. After ACLS training had been given, overall mortality rates decreased from 17.4% to 13.4% (p < .05). A pooled estimate of the decrease in the mortality rate was 1.4 +/- 3.8%/quarter. Across the entire spectrum of severity of illness, the probabilities for survival increased at a given severity of illness following completion of the course (p = .06). When extremes of severity of illness were excluded from the analysis, the differences in probability for survival over the midrange of severity were statistically significant (p < .05). CONCLUSIONS: Training directed to the entire team likely to participate in the provision of ACLS in the community hospital favorably affects the overall practice of ACLS and the survival rate of patients with ischemic heart disease.

Aged↗

PubMed1994

Need for advanced cardiac life-support training in rural, community hospitals.

OBJECTIVE: To define the relative needs of the staffs of rural, community hospitals for training in advanced cardiac life support (ACLS), identify weaknesses, and modify a standard ACLS course to meet these needs. DESIGN: Prospective assessment of knowledge and skills relating to the practice of ACLS. SETTING: Rural, community hospitals in southern Wisconsin. INTERVENTIONS: None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: A well-validated, multiple-option, precourse test for life-support knowledge and clinical judgment was administered to the staff nurses, respiratory therapists, and practicing physicians of 12 rural, community hospitals in southern Wisconsin before their participation in a modified, extended, ACLS course, using the pre-1992 American Heart Association standards and guidelines. Testing was accomplished over 4 yrs. Detailed item analysis of the test was performed. A total of 461 persons participated. Overall, physicians performed better (p < .001) than did the nurses. Precourse difficulties included electrocardiographic rhythm strip interpretation, particularly with identification of the atrioventricular (A-V) blocks. Only 39.6% of the nurses and 64.1% of the physicians correctly identified third-degree A-V block. One third of the nurses and 22% of the physicians did not correctly identify coarse ventricular fibrillation. The pharmacologic properties and utility of atropine and epinephrine were not understood. Propranolol was selected for treatment of third-degree A-V block by 31.6% and 22.8% of the nurses and the physicians, respectively. Neither group was able to accurately distinguish between the components of disturbances in acid-base balance. The esophageal obturator airway tube was not a familiar tool to any of the groups. No improvement in overall performance on pretests occurred across the calendar years of the study. CONCLUSIONS: There is a need for ACLS training in community hospitals. Educational programs for physicians and staffs should be designed to meet that need.

Clinical Competence↗

PubMed2006

Are the "life-support" courses updated? An evaluation of their literature base.

BACKGROUND: As a condition of employment, many physicians practicing in the United States are mandated to remain current in their certification of some or all of the life-support courses. These courses reputedly set the standard of care by establishing nationally recognized paradigms of resuscitation. These courses' textbooks are revised and re-released at regular intervals. OBJECTIVES: To determine whether the source data for these texts are vigorously updated with each revision and whether there is an obvious literature-based impetus to release a new version. METHODS: A comparison was made of the years of the references contained within the three most recent textbook editions of the advanced cardiac life support (ACLS), advanced trauma life support, basic life support, and pediatric advanced life support courses. The years of the references were tallied for each text, and these tallies were compared both within and between the courses. Data were divided into three groups: group 1, references published before the previous versions' release; group 2, references published after previous versions' release; group 3, references dated within three years of the texts' release. RESULTS: There appears to be a large amount of overlap of group 1 data throughout most of the course texts; the number of references in group 2 and 3 varies greatly between and within these courses. CONCLUSIONS: With one exception (ACLS in 2003), the life-support courses appear to be based on similar reference sets for the last 7 to 11 years. There may be a reason other than an availability of a critical mass of new information that prompts the release of a new edition of these life-support courses.

Advanced Cardiac Life Support↗

PubMed1996

Future directions for resuscitation research. III. External cardiopulmonary resuscitation advanced life support.

This discussion about advanced cardiac life support (ACLS) reflects disappointment with the over 50% of out-of-hospital cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) attempts that fail to achieve restoration of spontaneous circulation (ROSC). Hospital discharge rates are equally poor for in-hospital CPR attempts outside special care units. Early bystander CPR and early defibrillation (manual, semi-automatic or automatic) are the most effective methods for achieving ROSC from ventricular fibrillation (VF). Automated external defibrillation (AED), which is effective in the hands of first responders in the out-of-hospital setting, should also be used and evaluated in hospitals, inside and outside of special care units. The first countershock is most important. Biphasic waveforms seem to have advantages over monophasic ones. Tracheal intubation has obvious efficacy when the airway is threatened. Scientific documentation of specific types, doses, and timing of drug treatments (epinephrine, bicarbonate, lidocaine, bretylium) are weak. Clinical trials have failed so far to document anything statistically but a breakthrough effect. Interactions between catecholamines and buffers need further exploration. A major cause of unsuccessful attempts at ROSC is the underlying disease, which present ACLS guidelines do not consider adequately. Early thrombolysis and early coronary revascularization procedures should also be considered for selected victims of sudden cardiac death. Emergency cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) could be a breakthrough measure, but cannot be initiated rapidly enough in the field due to technical limitations. Open-chest CPR by ambulance physicians deserves further trials. In searches for causes of VF, neurocardiology gives clues for new directions. Fibrillation and defibrillation thresholds are influenced by the peripheral sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems and impulses from the frontal cerebral cortex. CPR for cardiac arrest of the mother in advanced pregnancy requires modifications and outcome data. Until more recognizable critical factors for ROSC are identified, titrated sequencing of ACLS measures, based on physiologic rationale and sound judgement, rather than rigid standards, gives the best chance for achieving survival with good cerebral function.

Animals↗

PubMed2000

Treating electrical storm : sympathetic blockade versus advanced cardiac life support-guided therapy.

BACKGROUND: Electrical storm (ES), defined as recurrent multiple ventricular fibrillation (VF) episodes, often occurs in patients with recent myocardial infarction. Because treating ES according to the Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) guidelines yields a poor outcome, we evaluated the efficacy of sympathetic blockade in treating ES patients and compared their outcome with that of patients treated according to the ACLS guidelines. METHODS AND RESULTS: Forty-nine patients (36 men, 13 women, mean age 57+/-10 years) who had ES associated with a recent myocardial infarction were separated into 2 groups. Patients in group 1 (n=27) received sympathetic blockade treatment: 6 left stellate ganglionic blockade, 7 esmolol, and 14 propranolol. Patients in group 2 (n=22) received antiarrhythmic medication as recommended by the ACLS guidelines. Patient characteristics were similar in the 2 groups. The 1-week mortality rate was higher in group 2: 18 (82%) of the 22 patients died, all of refractory VF; 6 (22%) of the 27 group 1 patients died, 3 of refractory VF (P<0.0001). Patients who survived the initial ES event did well over the 1-year follow-up period: Overall survival in group 1 was 67%, compared with 5% in group 2 (P<0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: Sympathetic blockade is superior to the antiarrhythmic therapy recommended by the ACLS guidelines in treating ES patients. Our study emphasizes the role of increased sympathetic activity in the genesis of ES. Sympathetic blockade-not class 1 antiarrhythmic drugs-should be the treatment of choice for ES.

Adrenergic beta-Antagonists↗

PubMed1998

The Ontario Prehospital Advanced Life Support (OPALS) Study: rationale and methodology for cardiac arrest patients.

The Ontario Prehospital Advanced Life Support Study represents the largest prehospital study yet conducted, worldwide. This study will involve more than 25,000 cardiac arrest, trauma, and critically ill patients over an 8-year period. The study will evaluate the incremental benefit of rapid defibrillation and prehospital Advanced Cardiac Life Support measures for cardiac arrest survival and the benefit of Advanced Life Support for patients with traumatic injuries and other critically ill prehospital patients. This article describes the OPALS study with regard to the rationale and methodology for cardiac arrest patients.

Cost-Benefit Analysis↗

PubMed1997

Effects of intra-aortic balloon occlusion on hemodynamics during, and survival after cardiopulmonary resuscitation in dogs.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of balloon occlusion of the proximal descending aorta during cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) on hemodynamics, restoration of spontaneous circulation, and 24-hr survival. DESIGN: Prospective, randomized, controlled trial. SETTING: Experimental laboratory in a university hospital. SUBJECTS: Eighteen anesthetized dogs. INTERVENTIONS; Catheters were placed for hemodynamic and blood gas monitoring. An aortic balloon catheter was placed with its tip just distal to the left subclavian artery. After 10 mins of ventricular fibrillation without CPR, 3 mins of Basic Life Support (chest compressions and ventilation with 100% oxygen) was followed by up to 30 mins of Advanced Cardiac Life Support with canine drug dosages. In the treatment group (n = 8), the intra-aortic balloon was inflated when Advanced Cardiac Life Support started and not deflated until shortly after restoration of spontaneous circulation. The control animals (n = 10) were treated with an identical resuscitation but without intra-aortic balloon occlusion. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: In the treatment group, coronary perfusion pressure was greater during Advanced Cardiac Life Support (p = .026). Restoration of spontaneous circulation was more frequent (7/8 dogs) as compared with the control group (3/10 dogs) (p = .025). There was a trend toward greater 24-hr survival in the treatment group (5/8 dogs) than in the control group (3/10 dogs). CONCLUSIONS: Balloon occlusion of the proximal descending aorta during experimental CPR improves restoration of spontaneous circulation. Further laboratory and human studies are needed to determine the clinical efficacy of this technique.

Animals↗

PubMed1989

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation: qualifications and performance of housestaff and trained internists.

Eighty-six physicians in the Internal Medicine Department of the Mount Sinai Medical Center were evaluated on attitudes and knowledge of basic and advanced cardiac life support. Information was gathered over a one-week period using a self-administered questionnaire. Eighteen (21%) of the respondents did not know of the availability of basic and advanced cardiac life support courses at this institution. Of the physicians who had never taken either course, 8 (25%) stated it was because it was not offered at a convenient time or place. All housestaff officers were noted to have completed both courses, a percentage much higher than that of the trained internists (p less than .0001). Previous formal training in cardiac life support was found to be associated with a higher level of confidence in the ability to administer cardiac lifesaving techniques (p less than .0001) and a higher overall knowledge score (p = .003). We determined that the housestaff officers in internal medicine were the physicians most qualified to perform resuscitation efforts because of their completion of life support courses, their confidence in administering these techniques, and their greater overall knowledge. Wider publicity on the availability of cardiac life support courses, more convenient scheduling of such courses, and mandatory certification in basic life support for all physicians, with additional certification in advanced cardiac life support for physicians with extensive ward responsibility, are needed.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗

PubMed2001

Hypothermia after cardiac arrest: feasibility and safety of an external cooling protocol.

BACKGROUND: No proven neuroprotective treatment exists for ischemic brain injury after cardiac arrest. Mild-to-moderate induced hypothermia (MIH) is effective in animal models. METHODS AND RESULTS: A safety and feasibility trial was designed to evaluate mild-to-moderate induced hypothermia by use of external cooling blankets after cardiac arrest. Inclusion criteria were return of spontaneous circulation within 60 minutes of advanced cardiac life support, hypothermia initiated within 90 minutes, persistent coma, and lack of acute myocardial infarction or unstable dysrhythmia. Hypothermia to 33 degrees C was maintained for 24 hours followed by passive rewarming. Nine patients were prospectively enrolled. Mean time from advanced cardiac life support to return of spontaneous circulation was 11 minutes (range 3 to 30); advanced cardiac life support to initiation of hypothermia was 78 minutes (range 40 to 109); achieving 33 degrees C took 301 minutes (range 90 to 690). Three patients completely recovered, and 1 had partial neurological recovery. One patient developed unstable cardiac dysrhythmia. No other unexpected complications occurred. CONCLUSIONS: Mild-to-moderate induced hypothermia after cardiac arrest is feasible and safe. However, external cooling is slow and imprecise. Efforts to speed the start of cooling and to improve the cooling process are needed.

Adult↗

PubMed1991

An innovative method of teaching Advanced Cardiac-Life Support, or why Cosmic Osmo may someday save your life.

A demonstration and discussion of the effectiveness of an animated and interactive simulation of cardiac and/or respiratory arrest with tools to allow the user to reverse the fatal course of events. The simulation is designed to reinforce and teach the American Heart Association's course in Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS). Using an animated interactive simulation allows the student to rehearse various critical events without assembling all the components typically used in the ACLS course "MegaCode." The simulation is written in a commercial authoring shell made by Authorware, Inc, and currently runs on an Apple Macintosh II platform. Cosmic Osmo (Activision) is an animated and interactive exploration game based in Hypercard that allows the user to explore and control the game by clicking on various switchs, buttons, objects, even telephones. The interactive spirit of this program has been carried over to the ACLS tutorial.

Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation↗

PubMed1989

Pediatric emergencies in office practices: prevalence and office preparedness.

Because of a nationally apparent increased interest in emergency medical services for children and the need for a greater understanding of the relationship between office pediatric and emergency department care of children, a questionnaire was mailed to practitioners to (1) describe office physician involvement with emergent conditions, and (2) evaluate physician office preparedness for pediatric emergencies. Responses were received from 280 pediatricians and family practitioners, including information regarding the availability of equipment and medication, physician training, and practice characteristics. Of the responding physicians, 62% reported that they assessed in their offices more than one child each week who required hospitalization or urgent treatment. A preparedness score was developed and multiple regression analysis was used to investigate the relationship between this score and physician and practice characteristics. The mean overall preparedness score was 53.7 of a possible 156 (range 5 to 136, SD = 31.3). Characteristics related to this score were type of practice and advanced cardiac life support certification. Large multispecialty practices and practices with physicians trained in advanced cardiac life support tended to have better preparedness scores. Family practitioners tended to have more complete stock of medications than pediatricians. The data presented suggested that critically ill children who enter the medical system via the office setting may have a better than even chance of finding the office unprepared to treat the emergency: in fewer than one third of the offices in which it was reported that at least one patient was seen weekly with asthma, anaphylaxis, sickle cell vasoocclusive crisis, status epilepticus, and sepsis were they fully equipped to treat emergencies related to these conditions.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Chicago↗

PubMed1995

Improved survival after intraoperative cardiac arrest in noncardiac surgical patients.

OBJECTIVE: To test the hypothesis that improvements in intraoperative and perioperative critical care are resulting in an improved outcome after intraoperative cardiac arrest. DESIGN: A retrospective consecutive series of patients who experienced an intraoperative cardiac arrest during noncardiothoracic surgical procedures between January 1986 and June 1994. SETTING: A tertiary care university-based hospital. PARTICIPANTS: Twenty-four consecutive patients who experienced an intraoperative arrest among 162,661 noncardiothoracic surgical procedures during the designated period. INTERVENTION: Advanced cardiac life support and advanced trauma life support methods were used appropriately. Postarrest pharmacologic and mechanical cardiopulmonary support were used as needed in the setting of a surgical intensive care unit. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Survival out of the operating room and survival to discharge. RESULTS: Fifteen patients (62%) were resuscitated in the operating room and taken to the surgical intensive care unit or recovery room. Nine patients (38%) survived to discharge from the hospital. Twelve arrests (50%) were primarily cardiac in origin. Predictors of mortality included a need for pressor or inotropic support (P < .001) and duration of the arrest greater than 15 minutes (P < .001). CONCLUSION: Survival from an intraoperative cardiac arrest in a noncardiothoracic surgical patient is much improved over rates in historical controls who experienced in-hospital and out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. Rapid identification and aggressive correction of mechanical and metabolic derangements is warranted.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1995

Use of end-tidal carbon dioxide to predict outcome in prehospital cardiac arrest.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: End-tidal CO2 (ETCO2) measurement can be used to predict death in prehospital cardiac arrest patients with pulseless electrical activity (PEA). DESIGN: A prospective, observational study. SETTING: An urban and rural emergency medical services system in northwestern Washington state. PARTICIPANTS: Ninety consecutive victims of prehospital cardiac arrest with PEA. INTERVENTIONS: Patients were intubated in the field and treated using standard advanced cardiac life support protocols with online medical control. In addition, all patients were evaluated using mainstream ETCO2 monitoring. In this study, a hypothetical decision was made to cease resuscitative efforts based on an ETCO2 level of 10 mm Hg or less after 20 minutes of advanced cardiac life support. RESULTS: The study included 90 patients (61 were men) with a mean age of 67.6 +/- 13.6 years (range, 27 to 95 years). The initial ETCO2 averaged 11.7 +/- 6.6 mm Hg in nonsurvivors (range, 5 to 50 mm Hg) and 10.9 +/- 4.9 mm Hg in survivors (range, 5 to 24 mm Hg) (P > .672 [NS]). After 20 minutes of advanced cardiac life support, ETCO2 averaged 3.9 +/- 2.8 mm Hg (range, 0 to 12 mm Hg) in patients in whom the theoretical decision was made to cease field resuscitation. In contrast, survivors' ETCO2, just before restoration of circulation, averaged 31 +/- 5.3 mm Hg (range, 16 to 35 mm Hg) (P < .0001). Using an ETCO2 of 10 mm Hg or less as a theoretical threshold to predict death in the field successfully discriminated between the 16 survivors to hospital admission (those that achieved return of spontaneous circulation) and 75 prehospital deaths. Of the 16 survivors to hospital admission, 9 died in the hospital, and 7 were discharged from the hospital alive. In 13 of the 16 survivors, the first evidence of return of spontaneous circulation, before a palpable pulse or blood pressure, was a rising ETCO2. The logistic-regression parameters for the model are 4.4391 + ETCO2*-0.3624 (P < .0001). Sensitivity was 97.3%; specificity 100%; positive predictive value 100%; and negative predictive value 88.9%. CONCLUSION: This study suggests that a low ETCO2 (10 mm Hg or less) can be used to predict irreversible death in patients with pulseless electrical activity undergoing prehospital advanced cardiac life support. If future studies validate this model, use of ETCO2 may allow for triage decisions in the field.

Adult↗

PubMed2006

Assessment of the general knowledge of emergency physicians from the hospitals of the city of Salvador (Brazil) on the care of cardiac arrest patients.

OBJECTIVE: To identify the proportion of emergency physicians certified in immersion courses (ACLS--Advanced Cardiac Life Support and ATLS--Advanced Trauma Life Support) correlating the variables of age, gender, medical specialty, academic title, and type of hospital with the level of theoretical knowledge on the care of Cardiac Arrest (CA) victims. METHODS: Emergency physicians from public and private hospitals of the city of Salvador, State of Bahia--Brazil, were consecutively evaluated from November, 2003 to July, 2004. They volunteered to participate in the study, and responded to a questionnaire consisting of information on the following variables of interest: professional profile, participation or not in ACLS and ATLS immersion courses, and cognitive assessment with 22 objective questions on Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR). A score of correct answers was calculated for each participant, and then designated as score variable. This questionnaire was validated based on the result of the score obtained by ACLS course instructors in Salvador, BA. RESULTS: Of the 305 physicians who responded to the questionnaire, 83 (27.2%) had attended the ACLS course and had a mean score variable of 14.9+3.0 compared with the 215 physicians (70.5%) who had not attended the course and whose mean was 10.5+ 3.5 (p=0.0001). The mean score of the 65 cardiologists (21.5%) was 14.1+3.3 compared with the mean of 9.7+3.7(p=0.0001) of the 238 physicians (78.5%) from other specialties. No difference was observed in the mean scores between physicians who had attended the ATLS course or not (p=0.67). CONCLUSION: In the sample studied, theoretical knowledge on CPR was higher among physicians who had attended the ACLS course, as opposed to those who had attended the ATLS course. Cardiologists who had attended the ACLS demonstrated a higher theoretical knowledge on the care of CA patients when compared to physicians from other specialties taken as whole--Internal Medicine, Surgery, and Orthopedics.

Advanced Cardiac Life Support↗

PubMed2006

The Cardiac Surgery Advanced Life Support Course (CALS): delivering significant improvements in emergency cardiothoracic care.

BACKGROUND: A 3-day cardiac surgery advanced life support course was designed with a series of protocols to manage critically ill cardiac surgical patients and patients who suffer a cardiac arrest. We sought to determine the effect of this course on the management of simulated critically ill and cardiac arrest patients. METHODS: Twenty-four candidates participated in the course. Critically ill patients were simulated using intubated mannikins, with lines and drains in situ, and a laptop with an intensive care unit monitor simulation program. Candidates were tested before and after the course with rigidly predesigned clinical situations. Candidates were split into groups of 6, and cardiac arrests were simulated in the same fashion, with all required surgical equipment immediately available. All scenarios were videotaped, and after blinding, an independent surgeon assessed the times to achieve predetermined clinical endpoints. RESULTS: The time to successful definitive treatment was significantly faster postcourse for the critically ill patient scenarios: (565 secs [SD 27 secs] precourse, compared with 303 secs [SD 24 secs] postcourse; p < 0.0005). In addition, the times taken to achieve a wide range of predetermined objectives, including airway check, assessing breathing, circulation assessment, treating with oxygen, appropriate treatment of the circulation, and requesting blood gases, chest radiographs, and electrocardiograms, were also significantly faster in the postcourse scenarios. Times to successful chest reopening and internal cardiac massage were also significantly improved in cardiac arrest patients: (451 secs [SD 39 secs] precourse and 228 secs [SD 17 secs] postcourse; p = 0.011). CONCLUSIONS: Structured training and practice in the management of critically ill cardiac surgical patients and patients suffering a cardiac arrest leads to significant improvements in the speed and quality of care for these patients.

Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation↗

PubMed1993

Electrical shock and lightning strike.

Cardiac arrest from electrical shock or lightning strike is associated with significant mortality and requires modification and extension of standard advanced life support measures to achieve successful resuscitation. Patients who experience electrical shock or lightning strike may sustain cardiac and respiratory arrest secondary to the direct effects of current. However, the majority of victims have associated multisystem involvement, including neurologic complications, cutaneous burns, and associated blunt trauma. As a result, a combination of advanced cardiac life support measures and advanced trauma life support techniques is indicated. Victims with cardiac arrest from electrical shock or lightning strike require prompt, aggressive resuscitation using standard methods for airway control, ventilation, and chest compressions, as well as usual measures for defibrillation and cardiac pharmacotherapy. Unique considerations include vigorous fluid resuscitation and spinal immobilization for victims of electrical shock and reversal of normal multiple casualty triage priorities when managing several lightning strike victims. Because the majority of victims are relatively young and seldom have significant underlying cardiac disease, the chance for successful resuscitation may be greater for patients who experience sudden death from electrical shock or lightning strike than for those with other causes of cardiac arrest, even among patients with initial rhythms traditionally unresponsive to therapy. Although numerous specialized aspects are required for the successful management of victims of electrical shock and lightning strike, the following article focuses on the unique considerations necessary for immediate care of cardiac arrest victims, with emphasis on the underlying mechanisms of sudden death and currently recommended guidelines for resuscitation.

Electric Injuries↗

PubMed1990

Cardiac resuscitability with cardiopulmonary bypass after increasing ventricular fibrillation times in dogs.

Previous studies in dogs have shown resuscitation from prolonged cardiac arrest to conscious survival to be more effective with the use of cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) than with standard advanced cardiac life support. This study compared cardiovascular resuscitability with CPB only after varying periods of cardiac arrest without artificial circulatory support in a canine model. Group 1 (ten) was subjected to ventricular fibrillation for 15 minutes; group 2 (ten) for 20 minutes; and group 3 (ten) for 30 minutes. All received total CPB after ventricular fibrillation without advanced cardiac life support to defibrillation at two to five minutes and partial CPB to four hours. In all three groups CPB with epinephrine generated normal coronary perfusion pressure and increased ventricular fibrillation amplitude significantly. In groups 1 and 2, CPB reperfusion allowed for successful defibrillation in less than five minutes, weaning from CPB in all dogs at four hours, and stable spontaneous circulation thereafter. In group 3, only five of ten dogs could be weaned from bypass at four hours, and all died early with myocardial necroses. It was concluded that CPB may be of value in the setting of prolonged cardiac arrest when advanced cardiac life support has not been provided or is unable to restore spontaneous heart-beat.

Animals↗