A major clinical study published in the New England Journal of Medicine has examined whether delivering advanced heart-lung bypass treatment at the scene of a cardiac arrest improves survival.
The New England Journal of Medicine has published findings from the OnScene study, which looked at prehospital extracorporeal life support (ECLS) — a technique that uses a machine to take over the work of the heart and lungs — in patients who suffer a cardiac arrest outside hospital and do not respond to standard resuscitation efforts.
The study focuses on so-called refractory out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, where the heart fails to restart despite paramedics delivering prolonged CPR and defibrillation. In these cases, survival rates with conventional treatment are very low. The research explores whether bringing ECLS — normally only available inside specialist hospital units — directly to the patient could change outcomes.
An accompanying editorial in the same journal, titled *Bringing Rapid Reperfusion to More Patients with Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest*, addresses the question of how quickly restoring blood flow to the body might be extended to a wider group of patients.
The full findings and editorial are available through the New England Journal of Medicine.
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*If you or someone you know experiences chest pain, breathlessness, or symptoms of a heart attack, call 999 immediately. For non-emergency health advice, contact NHS 111 online or by phone.*
Source: @NEJM
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