Post-resuscitation therapies

Abstract

This chapter provides a review of recent developments in pathophysiology and treatment of post-resuscitation disease. The emphasis is on those organs that are most affected by cardiac arrest, namely the heart and the brain. Post-resuscitation ventricular dysrhythmias and heart failure, and post-resuscitation myocardial dysfunction, are the leading causes of the high post-resuscitation mortality rate. The mechanisms, including the effects of defibrillation and epinephrine, are discussed and new effective therapeutic options for improving outcomes are defined. Although post-resuscitation neurological dysfunction is complex and multifactorial, both controversial and well-known mechanisms are described. Novel cerebral resuscitation measures, especially brain cooling, are fully presented with the awareness that they are somewhat difficult to apply in clinical practice.