Saturday, April 2, 2011

Is CPR As Effective As We Thought?

Dr. Bryan Bledsoe has made a career of challenging assumptions with the pesky tag team of facts and the scientific method. I found this article about another Sacred Cow -- in this case, the foundational belief that it is CPR alone that saves lives in cardiac arrest -- very interesting reading.

1 comment:

Unknown said...

There is some very good literature out there discussing the complex syndrome that is cardiac arrest. The two most comprehensive studies regarding use of the impedance threshold device talk about this at length. These studies incorporate the 2005 AHA CPR standards in conjunction with the ITD and theraputic hypothermia. This approach has led to improved ROSC numbers with patients neurologically intact. The overall numbers are small, but they represent a new way of thinking regarding resuscitation of the pulseless apenic patient. Ultimately, these do show that CPR by itself isn't terribly effective, much like Dr. Brady says.