New research for treating cardiac arrest
Monday, 08 August, 2011
The University of the West of England, the Great Western Ambulance Service NHS Trust (GWAS) and University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust, will conduct an investigation to ensure paramedics employ the best possible techniques when treating a patient who has suffered a cardiac arrest.
Over the next year, a pilot study funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Research for Patient Benefit programme will take place to find out which approach to rescue breathing is most likely to improve patient survival.
Working with paramedics from GWAS, the researchers will test the efficacy of three different approaches and /or tools to manage a patient's airway during CPR. Professor Jonathan Benger from UWE and Consultant in Emergency Medicine at University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust is leading the project.
He explains, "When the heart stops outside hospital, this is a dire medical emergency and a major cause of sudden death. Emergency ambulance teams attend several calls daily to treat people in cardiac arrest and it is important that the most effective techniques are employed and best tools used to provide the best chance of patient survival.At the moment outcomes remain poor with most patients not surviving.
"Prompt CPR saves lives by preventing damage to a patient's brain and other organs, and effective airway management is a fundamental component of this. "Until now placing breathing tube in the windpipe (tracheal intubation) has been considered the best form of pre-hospital airway management, but sometimes attempting intubation can cause significant complications and interruptions in chest compression.
"National recommendations advocate using newer supraglottic airway devices (SADs) which are quicker to insert and cause minimal interruption to chest compressions. The two most promising SADs used in hospitals, but not currently in pre-hospital treatment, are the i-gel manufactured by Intersurgical and LMA Supreme(r). The devices are used in the upper airway, they are easy to use and cause less disruption in chest compression."
The pioneering research if successful will be rolled out for a national study to benefit cardiac arrest patients.
