Editorial
Managing out-of-hospital cardiac arrest survivors: 2. Cardiological perspective
| The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below. |
In the first article in this series (Heart 2001;85:6-8) the initial assessment and management of unconscious out-of-hospital cardiac arrest survivors was discussed. Early management is centred around providing haemodynamic and ventilatory support, until it becomes apparent whether or not neurological recovery will occur. Thereafter the focus shifts towards identification of the cause of cardiac arrest (in patients in whom this was not evident at presentation). This is important because interventions such as revascularisation, antiarrhythmic drugs, and implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) significantly reduce the risk of subsequent death in specific patient subgroups.1-3
Identification of the substrate of cardiac arrestApproximately 40% of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest victims have
the underlying substrate of acute myocardial infarction.4 The issue of whether or not to give thrombolysis to these patients if
they have received prolonged cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is a
difficult one. Trials provide conflicting information about the
incidence of serious haemorrhagic
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