Cardiopulmonary resuscitation

Abstract

Cardiac arrest is the most stressful medical emergency in daily clinical practice. Its prompt diagnosis, the early institution of basic life support and electrical defibrillation, the early and agressive use of vasopressor agents, and intensive care of the initially resuscitated patients are, undoubtedly, essential principles for a successful cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Considering that anterograde blood flow generated by the classical closed-chest cardiopulmonary resuscitation maneuveurs is usually very low, the use of especific pharmacological agents can improve the efficacy of such maneuvers, resulting in high rates of restoration of spontaneous circulation and improved neurological outcome. In the present issue, the main topics of basic and advanced cardiac life support in cardiopulmonary resuscitation are reviewed. By increasing peripheral vascular tone, and consequently increasing coronary and cerebral perfusion pressures, the early and agressive use of vasopressor agents in the treatment of cardiac arrest is emphasized.