Improving the hemodynamics of CPR. AHA guidelines support timely and effective CPR

More research is needed to improve our understanding of what constitutes the most effective method of cardiopulmonary resuscitation; however, we know more now than ever in the history of medicine. We know that CPR is more than simply pushing on the chest and defibrillating the heart. We know that there exists an optimal physiologic condition to facilitate successful resuscitation that relies on quality coronary and cerebral artery perfusion and preparation of the heart before defibrillation. There are many questions yet to be answered, such as how long defibrillation should be delayed following CPR, which devices or techniques provide the most effective CPR, and what are the most effective ratios of compression and ventilation? The answer may lie within a combination of approaches using multiple devices and techniques simultaneously in an attempt to meet the goals for performing the most effective CPR. What is clear is that the science of cardiac arrest is maturing, and what began in the early ages as an act of faith and desperation has now become grounded in logical reason and understanding of the physiology of cardiac arrest and the hemodynamics of CPR.