Duration of Cardiac Arrest Resuscitation: Deciding When to "Call the Code".

1338 Since the advent of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) >50 years ago, progress has been made in the initial treatment of cardiac arrest, yet the diagnostic and monitoring modalities available to clinicians during resuscitation have lagged behind. As the science of cardiac arrest care continues to evolve, a key clinical dilemma remains unanswered: when is it acceptable to stop resuscitation, and based on what diagnostic criteria? Given that >300 000 adults in the United States will suffer from emergency medical services (EMS)–assessed out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) each year, the decision to stop resuscitation efforts has an enormous impact on thousands of lives.