Cardiac Arrest News and Research

Latest Cardiac Arrest News and Research

Over 13,000 youth to receive cardiac screenings in Oct.

During National Sudden Cardiac Arrest Awareness (SCA) Month in October, thirteen organizations from across the nation are participating in Screen Across America, a national initiative that provides cardiac screenings to youth ages 5-24. The goal of this collaborative effort is to increase awareness about Sudden Cardiac Arrest in youth and the importance of cardiac screenings and early detection in saving young lives.

3 Oct 2011

Bulgaria’s decades old anti-smoking pill could be a cheap and effective answer to smoking cessation

A pill from Bulgaria during the Soviet era shows promise for helping millions of smokers cheaply and safely kick the habit, the first big clinical trial of it shows. It is unclear whether it will ever reach the market in the U.S. or Western Europe though.

29 Sep 2011

Patients with chronic conditions likely to change their preferences for CPR

Patients with chronic conditions are likely to change their preferences for receiving emergency procedures in the event of cardiac arrest, according to new findings.

27 Sep 2011

Cambridge Heart enters agreement with EO Medical for MTWA technology

Cambridge Heart, Inc., a developer of non-invasive diagnostic tests for cardiac disease, today announced that it has executed an exclusive agreement with EO Medical Pte Ltd to distribute its HearTwave II System and proprietary Microvolt T-Wave Alternans (MTWA) software and Micro-V Alternans Sensors in Singapore upon regulatory approval.

22 Sep 2011

Poor neighborhoods linked to higher risk of out-of-hospital cardiac deaths

People living in poor neighborhoods are at higher risk of dying of heart disease outside a hospital than are people who live in wealthier neighborhoods, research suggests.

21 Sep 2011

Hasbro Children's Hospital joins Pediatric Emergency Care Applied Research Network

The emergency medicine department at Hasbro Children's Hospital has received a grant that will support its participation in the Pediatric Emergency Care Applied Research Network (PECARN). This is the nation's first federally funded pediatric research network focused on the prevention and management of acute illnesses and injuries in children of all ages.

8 Sep 2011

Two ROC trials evaluate new strategies for CPR following cardiac arrest

Researchers with the Resuscitation Outcomes Consortium, which includes the University of Alabama at Birmingham, report Sept. 1 in the New England Journal of Medicine on the first two large-scale ROC trials. Both trials were evaluating new strategies for cardiopulmonary resuscitation following cardiac arrest.

2 Sep 2011

Longer CPR may do more harm than good: Study

A new study reveals that providing CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) for a longer period of time could actually harm certain patients. “We found that extra CPR didn't help and, in fact, in some patients it was not a good thing. It would make it worse,” said Dr. Ian Stiell, lead author of a paper published in the Sept. 1 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. “Our study showed that there's no reason to do two minutes of CPR or to delay defibrillation.”

31 Aug 2011

AED failures may lead to cardiac arrest deaths

More than 1,000 cardiac arrest deaths over 15 years are connected to the failure of automated external defibrillators (AEDs); battery failure accounted for almost one-quarter of the failures. The study was published online last week in Annals of Emergency Medicine.

31 Aug 2011

Philips to launch first sleep apnea mobile app at ESC 2011 congress

Royal Philips Electronics will provide clinicians from across the globe with a glimpse of future innovations designed to advance cardiac care, including the current management of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and associated cardiac conditions, during the 2011 Congress of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC), which opens today in Paris.

From Philips Healthcare 29 Aug 2011

AAO-HNSF's 2011 Annual Meeting & OTO EXPO to convene in San Francisco

The 2011 Annual Meeting & OTO EXPO of the American Academy of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery Foundation (AAO-HNSF), the largest meeting of ear, nose, and throat doctors in the world, will convene September 11-14, 2011, in San Francisco, CA.

29 Aug 2011

Physio-Control announces commercial availability of ReadyLink 12-Lead ECG device

Physio-Control, Inc., a global leader in emergency medical solutions and wholly‐owned subsidiary of Medtronic, Inc.,, today announced commercial availability of the ReadyLink™ 12-Lead ECG device, a new, U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) 510(k)-cleared solution designed to improve care for heart attack patients and expand regional STEMI systems.

From Medtronic 24 Aug 2011

New gout drug may help severely affected: Study

A new drug for gout could help very sick gout patients who don't get better with usual treatment, according to a new study. The research was designed and funded by the pharmaceutical company Savient, which markets the drug, called Krystexxa (pegloticase).

17 Aug 2011

FDA approves Covidien's morphine sulfate oral solution for chronic pain in opioid-tolerant patients

Covidien, a leading global provider of healthcare products, today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently granted approval to the company's Mallinckrodt business for morphine sulfate oral solution, used to relieve moderate to severe acute and chronic pain in opioid-tolerant patients. The solution will be available as a generic in 100 milligrams per 5 mL (20 milligrams per 1 mL).

1 Aug 2011

Therapeutic hypothermia might not be effective for children after heart attack

Intravenous delivery of cold fluids to reduce body temperature quickly after a heart attack and improve neurologic outcomes may not be as effective in children as it is in adults, according to a study reported in Therapeutic Hypothermia and Temperature Management, a peer-reviewed journal published by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.

30 Jul 2011

PACA study: Adrenaline can treat cardiac arrest

Adrenaline has kept its place in cardiac arrest guidelines despite limited evidence for or against its use. The PACA study by Jacobs and colleagues, soon to be published in Resuscitation, the official journal of the European Resuscitation Council, provides the best evidence to date supporting the use of adrenaline to treat cardiac arrest.

27 Jul 2011

High cost of multiple sclerosis drugs

According to a study released this Wednesday, drugs used in the hope of slowing multiple sclerosis progression may help some patients, but at a very high cost.

21 Jul 2011

72-hour Ecuador booze ban to investigate contamination

After 23 alcohol related deaths the police confiscated 28 containers each holding 55 gallons of contaminated alcohol in Los Rios, a coastal province of Ecuador. A 72-hour national dry law prohibiting the sale of alcohol has been declared to allow authorities to locate and discard the deadly methanol-contaminated liquor that affected so many individuals.

19 Jul 2011

Body builders using greyhound injections to increase muscle mass

According to reports many body builders are injecting drugs meant for greyhounds in the mistaken belief it will help them build bigger muscles faster. L-carnitine is found in supplements sold for human consumption but these users are buying an injectable form from pet shops which experts say can increase the risk of heart attacks. L-carnitine is a quaternary ammonium compound biosynthesized from the amino acids lysine and methionine.

10 Jul 2011