Sudden cardiac death represents a major health problem. In adults, the prevalence of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) attended by the emergency medical services (EMS) ranges from 52 to 112 per 100,000 person-years in developed countries [1], whereas the prevalence of adult in-hospital cardiac arrest (IHCA) ranges from 1 to 5 per 1,000 patient admissions [2]. Mortality from cardiac arrest e...

Sudden cardiac death represents a major health problem. In adults, the prevalence of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) attended by the emergency medical services (EMS) ranges from 52 to 112 per 100,000 person-years in developed countries [1], whereas the prevalence of adult in-hospital cardiac arrest (IHCA) ranges from 1 to 5 per 1,000 patient admissions [2]. Mortality from cardiac arrest e...

arthritis. Preoperative examination revealed an excess of submandibular soft tissue, Mallampati grade 3 mouth opening and a thyromental distance of 6 cm. She was adamant in wanting general anaesthesia for the procedure, but given her risk of oesophageal reflux, this would have mandated intubation, and difficult airway equipment (specifically fibre-optic bronchoscopy) was not available at the In...

OBJECTIVE Laypersons are poor at emergency pulse checks (sensitivity 84%, specificity 36%). Guidelines indicate that pulse checks should not be performed. The impedance cardiogram (dZ/dt) is used to assess stroke volume. Can a novel defibrillator-based impedance cardiogram system be used to distinguish between circulatory arrest and other collapse states? DESIGN Animal study. SETTING Univer...

BACKGROUND Vasopressin is an alternative to epinephrine for vasopressor therapy during cardiopulmonary resuscitation, but clinical experience with this treatment has been limited. METHODS We randomly assigned adults who had had an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest to receive two injections of either 40 IU of vasopressin or 1 mg of epinephrine, followed by additional treatment with epinephrine if...

BACKGROUND The determination of appropriate duration of in-the-field cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) patients is one of the biggest challenges for emergency medical service providers and clinicians. The appropriate CPR duration before termination of resuscitation remains unclear and may differ based on initial rhythm. We aimed to determine the relat...

Cardiac arrest is a condition frequently encountered by physicians in the hospital setting including the Emergency Department, Intensive Care Unit and medical/surgical wards. This paper reviews the current literature involving the use of ultrasound in resuscitation and proposes an algorithmic approach for the use of ultrasound during cardiac arrest. At present there is the need for a means of d...

INTRODUCTION Hanging is an infrequent but devastating cause of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). We determine the characteristics and outcomes of hanging-associated OHCA in Melbourne Australia. METHODS A 10-year retrospective case review of all adult hangings (aged ≥16 years) associated with OHCA, was conducted using data from the Victorian Ambulance Cardiac Arrest Registry. RESULTS Be...