Seven Tools Result in Dramatic Improvements in Cardiac Arrest Outcomes in Rialto, Calif.

This article describes the RFD's journey toward increased SCA survival-a journey that, in 2016, resulted in a 71% (Utstein) survival rate from sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) in Rialto. This is due in large part to what the RFD unlearned about cardiac arrest; Rialto's outcome-based data now shows that all of these assumptions are false: CPR should be done on a hard, flat surface; Always defibrillate ventricular fibrillation (v fib); Intubation attempts should be limited to 30 seconds; ALS actions are what saves lives; Prioritize epinephrine to improve cerebral perfusion and survival; Asystolic patients have essentially no survivability; and Rapid transport to the hospital improves outcomes. After just two years, the RFD is seeing dramatic results, including a significant improvement of ROSC and patient survival.
Source: JEMS Patient Care - Category: Emergency Medicine Authors: Tags: Patient Care Cardiac & Resuscitation Source Type: news