Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Advanced life support drugs: do they really work?

Jerry P Nolan1, Francisco J De Latorre, Petter A Steen

  • 1Advanced Life Support Working Group of the European Resuscitation Council and Royal United Hospital, Combe Park, Bath, UK.

Current Opinion in Critical Care
|October 19, 2002
PubMed
Summary

Advanced life support drugs like vasopressin, amiodarone, magnesium, and fibrinolytics are reviewed for cardiac arrest survival. While some show promise in specific scenarios, none have definitively proven increased survival to hospital discharge in large human trials.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Principles of Management of Postcardiac Arrest Patients in the ICU.

Journal of clinical neurophysiology : official publication of the American Electroencephalographic Society·2026
Same author

Clinical Prediction Models for Prognostication After Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Critical care medicine·2026
Same author

Tracheal intubation using video laryngoscopy as compared to direct laryngoscopy during cardiopulmonary resuscitation: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Resuscitation·2026
Same author

Reply to: Post-resuscitation care: myocardial dysfunction is the main cause of haemodynamic instability, not vasodilation.

Resuscitation·2026
Same author

From arrest to recovery: the 2025 ERC guidelines redefine the chain of survival.

European heart journal. Acute cardiovascular care·2025
Same author

Methodology and Conflict of Interest Management: 2025 International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation Consensus on Science With Treatment Recommendations.

Circulation·2025

Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Emergency Medicine
  • Pharmacology

Background:

  • Basic life support and defibrillation are key for cardiac arrest survival.
  • Numerous drugs show promise in animal models but lack definitive human trial evidence for improving survival to hospital discharge.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review recent experimental and clinical data on vasopressin, amiodarone, magnesium, and fibrinolytics during advanced life support (ALS).

Main Methods:

  • Review of experimental and clinical data on specific drugs used in advanced cardiac life support.
  • Analysis of animal studies and human trials regarding drug efficacy in cardiac arrest.

Main Results:

  • Vasopressin shows improved organ blood flow in animal CPR compared to epinephrine, but human survival benefits are unproven.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Amiodarone may improve short-term survival in out-of-hospital ventricular fibrillation cardiac arrest.
  • Magnesium is recommended for specific arrhythmias (torsades de pointes) and hypomagnesemia-related ventricular fibrillation.
  • Fibrinolytics demonstrate safety during CPR and potential benefits in specific cardiac arrest causes (thrombus, embolism) and for restoring cerebral perfusion.

    • Conclusions:

    • The definitive role of vasopressin in improving human cardiac arrest survival requires large-scale trials.
    • Amiodarone shows potential for improving short-term survival in specific cardiac arrest types.
    • Magnesium has a defined role in specific electrolyte-related arrhythmias.
    • Fibrinolytics may be beneficial in certain cardiac arrest etiologies, with further trials needed to clarify their role in out-of-hospital CPR.