Cardiac Arrest News and Research

Latest Cardiac Arrest News and Research

Bystander CPR - new efforts to improve quality

Benjamin S. Abella, MD, MPhil, Clinical Research Director of Penn's Center for Resuscitation Science and Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine, says bystanders can play a critical role in saving lives by performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation during the 150,000 cardiac arrests that occur each year outside of hospitals in the United States.

15 Jan 2008

Methadone and rare ventricular arrhythmia link

Methadone is a possible cause of sudden cardiac death even when it isn't overdosed but is taken at therapeutic levels primarily for relief of chronic pain or drug addiction withdrawal, a new study by Oregon Health & Science University researchers suggests.

10 Jan 2008

Chances of surviving a heart attack better in an airport or casino than in a U.S. hospital

According to the latest research from the United States you have a better chance of surviving a heart attack if you have it in an airport or a casino, rather than a hospital.

7 Jan 2008

For hospital patients, defibrillation delays mean lower survival

An estimated 750,000 hospitalized patients experience cardiac arrest and undergo CPR annually, and less than 30 percent of those leave the hospital alive.

3 Jan 2008

Doctors trained on patient simulators exhibit superior skills

Senior internal medicine residents who are trained in critical resuscitation skills on patient simulators become more skilled than residents who undergo traditional training, according to new research.

10 Dec 2007

Simple two-in-one test signals high risk after a heart attack

Everyone loves a two-fer, but a two-in-one heart test that has the potential to save lives is the real deal.

4 Dec 2007

Merck Serono's Cyanokit approved in Europe

Merck Serono, a division of Merck KGaA, announced today that the European Commission has granted marketing authorization for its product Cyanokit (active substance: hydroxocobalamin) for the treatment of known or suspected cyanide poisoning in both adults and the pediatric population.

3 Dec 2007

The association of registered nurse staffing levels and patient outcomes

If hospitals added one more full-time registered nurse on staff to care for patients, the number of hospital-related deaths in the United States could decrease significantly, according to a new review.

27 Nov 2007

Rapid response teams in children's hospitals reduce risk of death, cardiac arrests

A children's hospital that added a rapid response medical team for patients not in the intensive care unit saw an 18 percent decrease in the death rate, and about a 70 percent decline in the rate of cardiac and respiratory arrests, according to a study in the November 21 issue of JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association.

21 Nov 2007

U.S. doctor charged with manslaughter of autistic boy by botched chelation therapy

The doctor, Dr. Roy Kerry of Portersville, Butler County, has been charged with manslaughter after incorrectly administering a controversial chemical treatment.

19 Nov 2007

CPR guidelines double hospital discharge rates

A new seven-city study on the impact of new CPR techniques supports the widespread use of the American Heart Association's new 2005 CPR guidelines, according to the study authors in a presentation at the AHA's Scientific Sessions November 4 in Orlando.

6 Nov 2007

Lives are saved when defibrillators are placed in public spaces

Heart experts at Johns Hopkins and elsewhere have evidence that at least 522 lives can be saved annually in the United States and Canada by the widespread placement of automated external defibrillators, the paddle-fitted, electrical devices used to shock and revive people whose hearts have suddenly stopped beating.

6 Nov 2007

Token resuscitation attempts on hopelessly ill patients prolong suffering

Resuscitating hopelessly ill patients too slowly to save their lives can be an invasive and undignified procedure that prolongs death and suffering, according to the November issue of Journal of Clinical Nursing.

2 Nov 2007

Researchers discover new gene responsible for Brugada syndrome

Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine have identified a new gene responsible for a rare, inherited form of sudden cardiac arrest, known as Brugada syndrome.

1 Nov 2007

Major gender gap in use of life-saving heart device

Women who might have benefited from the use of an implantable heart monitor following a cardiac arrest were far less likely than men to have one prescribed, according to experts at the Duke University Medical Center.

3 Oct 2007

FDA warns against cold and cough remedies made for children

Safety experts in the United States are warning parents about buying over-the-counter cold and cough remedies, specifically marketed for children.

2 Oct 2007

FDA tackles illegal hydrocodone products

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has announced its intention to take enforcement action against companies marketing unapproved prescription drug products containing hydrocodone, a narcotic widely used to treat pain and suppress coughs.

29 Sep 2007

Hydrogen sulfide based drug shows promise in reducing heart-attack damage

Producing a state of "hibernation on demand" in mice by administering an experimental drug from Ikaria (an injectable formulation of the biological gas hydrogen sulfide) showed promise in a study designed to reduce damage from heart attacks.

26 Sep 2007

Hydrogen sulfide limits severe heart attack damage

Administering hydrogen sulfide (H2S) directly into the heart during a simulated heart attack significantly reduces the tissue and cell damage often seen in oxygen-starved organs, according to a new study from researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham

20 Sep 2007

Do schools need emergency response equipment to deal with heart attacks?

A study by researchers in the U.S. has found that the incidence of heart attacks on school property is rare, and when it does occur most of the victims are adults.

29 Aug 2007