Cardiac Arrest News and Research

Latest Cardiac Arrest News and Research

First-aid defibrillator use increases rate of survival

Sudden Heart Death is the number one cause of death in the industrialised world. 1/3 of the patients die before being transported into hospital. 20 % to 30 % of these cardiac arrests happen in public areas.

1 Sep 2004

CPR and rapid defibrillation is best for cardiac arrest outside of a hospital

Research published in the New England Journal of Medicine suggests that pre-hospital advanced life support training does not increase the survival rate for people who experience a cardiac arrest outside of a hospital. On the other hand, bystander CardioPulmonary Resuscitation and rapid defibrillation programs are crucial interventions that can significantly impact survival rates.

12 Aug 2004

Chickasaw County residents in need of emergency medical services will now have access to a lifesaving device

Chickasaw County residents in need of emergency medical services will now have access to a lifesaving device, thanks to a Mississippi State Department of Health initiative that allows purchasing and placement of these devices in rural areas of the state.

29 Jul 2004

Older people fail to recognise the signs of cardiac arrest

An Australian study has found a disturbing number of older people fail to recognise the signs of cardiac arrest and do not know what to do in the event of such an emergency.

15 Jul 2004

FDA warns against use of domperidone to increase milk production

In response to reports that women may be using an unapproved drug, domperidone, to increase milk production (lactation), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is warning breastfeeding women not to use this product because of safety concerns. Today, FDA also issued six letters to pharmacies that compound products containing domperidone and firms that supply domperidone for use in compounding.

9 Jun 2004

Males and females respond differently to brain injury

Researchers at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh have found that males and females respond differently to brain injury and therefore, boys with brain injuries may require different life-saving treatments than girls.

1 May 2004

BioTime awarded a research grant for blood plasma volume expander

BioTime, Inc. has announced that it has been awarded a research grant by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute division of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for use in the development of its HetaCool® blood plasma volume expander following peer review.

27 Apr 2004

Expert calls for standard epinephrine doses when treating children in cardiac arrest

Medical personnel attempting to resuscitate a child in cardiac arrest should abide by epinephrine dosing levels outlined in the Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) guidelines rather than giving larger amounts of the drug, says a nationally recognized pediatrician from UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas.

22 Apr 2004

Launch of The Oxford Genetics Knowledge Park by Matt Ridley

The Oxford Genetics Knowledge Park is a partnership between Oxford University and the Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals NHS Trust, and is one of six such Parks nationally, funded by the Departments of Health and Trade and Industry. The aim of the Genetics Knowledge Parks (GKPs) is to translate advances in genetics research into clinical practice.

6 Apr 2004

Number of breaths given during CPR may be linked to survival

Researchers have identified a factor that may improve cardiac arrest survival rates according to a first-of-its-kind study of paramedic responses reported in today’s rapid access issue of Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.

5 Apr 2004

Cardiac sympathetic denervation the heart’s control from the sympathetic nervous system

Surgery to cut part of the nerves to the heart can reduce the risk of fainting or sudden death in young people with a heart rhythm disorder called long QT syndrome (LQTS), researchers reported in today’s rapid access issue of Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.

29 Mar 2004