[Editorial] Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest: a unique medical emergency

In 1891, Friedrich Maass performed the first chest compressions on a human being. 80 years later, the first mass citizen training in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) was held in Seattle; over 100  000 members of the public were taught CPR. Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) describes the loss of mechanical cardiac function and the absence of systemic circulation. Time is crucial, with a lack of perfusion leading to continual cell death; with each second that passes the possibility of a good outcome decreases.

Source: LANCET - March 9, 2018 Category: General Medicine Authors: The Lancet Tags: Editorial Source Type: research