Post-cardiac arrest care key to survival

That's the conclusion of the American Heart Association science advisory published today in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.

Brain injury, heart dysfunction, systemic inflammation and the underlying disease that caused the cardiac arrest all contribute to the high death rate of patients who initially have their pulse re-started. Collectively, these symptoms are known as post-cardiac arrest syndrome.

The largest modern report of cardiac arrest resuscitation was published by the National Registry of CPR in 2006. Among the 19,819 adults and 524 children whose hearts were re-started, in-hospital mortality rates were 67 percent and 55 percent, respectively.

The new statement says there is growing evidence that post-cardiac arrest care can lower the death rate and improve functional outcome for these patients.

"Although we have become better at restarting the heart, we are only beginning to learn and implement the best ways to keep patients alive and minimize brain damage after their heart is re-started," said Robert W. Neumar, M.D., Ph.D., head of the statement writing committee and associate professor of emergency medicine and associate director of the Center for Resuscitation Science at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.

Research shows that many aspects of post cardiac arrest syndrome can be treated. The advisory discussed treatments for various types of patients such as: