Meth Use Linked to Risk of Parkinson Disease

Abstract

provements in CPR, said Lars Wik, MD, PhD, of the National Competence Center of Emergency Medicine, Oslo University Hospital, in Norway. “Using electronic data has sparked an interest in this area and will allow for a review of how the paramedics and physicians are performing,” he noted. “To improve performance, you need to know what works and what does not.” Cheskes said his team’s findings emphasize the need for defibrillator manufacturers to improve on their devices. In the article, the authors suggest that developing software that allows heart rhythm analysis and charging the defibrillator battery during CPR could significantly decrease the preshock pause. He added, however, the optimal preshock pause for maximizing positive outcomes remains to be determined. In the meantime, Cheskes said that paramedics in the out-of-hospital setting should continue to provide resuscitation based on current guidelines. “Our study is not the gold standard,” Cheskes said. Although preshock delays may be inevitable for AEDs that are operated in an automatic mode by untrained bystanders, a larger concern is getting more bystanders to respond to an emergency, said Cheskes said. “Even though it is not optimal, if everyone performed bystander CPR and followed the AED instructions, they will save more lives than every paramedic I teach.”