Introduction Improving outcomes from cardiac arrest requires high-quality care. Studies of both in- and out-of-hospital cardiac arrest show that there is a gap between what the guidelines say and what…
Introduction Paediatric cardiorespiratory arrest is often caused by hypoxia, as the body has limited compensatory mechanisms to deal with severe illness or injury. Ventricular fibrillation or pulseless ventricular tachycardia is…
Introduction The term basic life support (BLS) is used to describe maintenance of a clear airway and support of breathing and the circulation in cases of cardiac arrest, without the…
Introduction Out-of-hospital sudden death is a leading cause of death in the industrialised world. In Europe alone, 700,000 sudden cardiac arrests occur each year. There is marked variation in the…
Introduction Arrhythmias are common in the peri-arrest period: they may lead to cardiac arrest or they may occur soon after return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC), a time when the myocardium…
Introduction Deciding whether or not it is appropriate to attempt cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) often evokes strong emotions in patients and their families and within the multidisciplinary team. When there is…
Introduction Sudden cardiac death (SCD) is defined as ‘Natural death due to cardiac causes, heralded by abrupt loss of consciousness within 1 hour of the onset of acute symptoms; pre-existing…
Resuscitation in sport Cardiac arrest occurring during sporting activity is fortunately relatively rare. Most cases are non-traumatic (80%) and occur in young males. Of these non-traumatic causes, 90% are cardiac…
Introduction Patients requiring resuscitation often have an obstructed airway, usually caused by loss of consciousness, but occasionally it may be the primary cause of cardiorespiratory arrest. Immediate restoration of airway…
Introduction Cardiac pacing devices can be either temporary or permanent. Temporary techniques include percussion (fist) pacing, transcutaneous pacing and transvenous pacing. Permanent pacemakers (PPM) are used for the treatment of…
