Cardiac Arrest

Results of a 5-year study in Japan suggest pulmonary embolism may be a major cause of sudden cardiac arrest among patients with psychiatric disorders.

Data that indicated better outcomes among some patients with cardiac arrest who had epinephrine administered fewer than 5 minutes after their first defibrillation was the top story in cardiology last week.

Administration of epinephrine within 4 minutes after first automatic external defibrillator shock for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest with initial shockable rhythm may improve survival and functional outcomes at discharge, data show.

Salt substitute vs. regular salt for prevention of stroke and other adverse outcomes.

Compared with placebo, dapagliflozin reduced risk for ventricular arrhythmias, cardiac arrest and sudden death, according to new data from the DAPA-HF trial.

After out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, pediatric recipients of rescue breathing with CPR had better outcomes compared with those in their age group who received compression-only CPR, researchers reported.

Immediate angiography did not provide a survival benefit compared with a delayed or selective strategy in patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest without ST-segment elevation, according to results of the TOMAHAWK trial.

Later timing of epinephrine administration in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest was associated with poorer chances of survival to discharge, regardless of presence of a shockable rhythm, but findings were not significant, researchers reported.

Among patients with cardiogenic shock, there was no difference between the inotropic agents milrinone and dobutamine in clinical outcomes, according to findings published in The New England Journal of Medicine.

Higher COVID-19 incidence correlated with significantly higher sudden cardiac arrest incidence and lower survival rates during the pandemic period in the U.S., according to findings presented at the hybrid Heart Rhythm 2021 meeting.