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A Rat Model of Ventricular Fibrillation and Resuscitation by Conventional Closed-chest Technique
Published on: April 26, 2015
Two deaths after prehospital use of adenosine
1Emergency Medical Services, County of Orange, Health Care Agency, Santa Ana, California 92701, USA.
Abstract:
Two patients in the prehospital setting died immediately after receiving adenosine for presumed supraventricular tachycardia. Both patients' cardiac rhythms were atrial fibrillation rather than supraventricular tachycardia, and their unstable conditions resulted from underlying diseases-chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and pulmonary embolism-rather than the tachycardia. Misinterpretation of the cause of tachycardia as well as the electrocardiographic findings may be responsible for adverse outcomes.
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