An alternative approach to advancing resuscitation science

Stagnant survival rates in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest remain a great impetus for advancing resuscitation science. International resuscitation guidelines, with all their advantages for standardizing resuscitation therapeutic protocols, can be difficult to change. A formalized evidence-based process has been adopted by the International Liason Committee on Resuscitation (ILCOR) in formulating such guidelines. Currently, randomized clinical trials are considered optimal evidence, and very few major changes in the Guidelines for Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and Emergency Cardiovascular Care are made without such. An alternative approach is to allow externally controlled clinical trials more weight in Guideline formulation and resuscitation protocol adoption. In Tucson, Arizona (USA), the Fire Department cardiac arrest database has revealed a number of resuscitation issues. These include a poor bystander CPR rate, a lack of response to initial defibrillation after prolonged ventricular fibrillation, and substantial time without chest compressions during the resuscitation effort. A local change in our previous resuscitation protocols had been instituted based upon this historical database information.