BiotechMashup

A new study sheds light on what causes certain kidneys to do better than others after being transplanted, providing doctors with an easy way to screen for donor kidneys that have the best chance of survival.

People can survive cardiac arrest if they receive only chest compressions during attempts to revive them -- as advised by the current American Heart Association guidelines. But they cannot survive without access to oxygen sometime during the resuscitation effort, research suggests. Scientists tested different scenarios in an animal study of cardiac arrest. Rats received either 100 percent oxygen, 21 percent oxygen -- the equivalent of room air -- or no oxygen (100 percent nitrogen) at the same time they received cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).

(Elsevier) Adrenaline has kept its place in cardiac arrest guidelines despite limited evidence for or against its use. The PACA (Placebo vs. Adrenaline vs. Cardiac Arrest) study by Jacobs and colleagues, soon to be published in Resuscitation, the official journal of the European Resuscitation Council, provides the best evidence to date supporting the use of adrenaline to treat cardiac arrest.

(Ohio State University) People can survive cardiac arrest if they receive only chest compressions during attempts to revive them -- as advised by the current American Heart Association guidelines. But they cannot survive without access to oxygen sometime during the resuscitation effort, research suggests. Scientists tested different scenarios in an animal study of cardiac arrest. Rats received either 100 percent oxygen, 21 percent oxygen -- the equivalent of room air -- or no oxygen (100 percent nitrogen) at the same time they received cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).

(American Heart Association) In a European study, patients were more likely to survive without brain damage after a cardiac arrest if emergency medical technicians lowered their body temperature early during resuscitation. Cooling is recommended for comatose patients after cardiac arrest, and this study demonstrates the potential benefits of beginning cooling even sooner during the arrest in the pre-hospital setting.

In most transplant centers, the kidneys of very young deceased donors are transplanted together into one patient. According to a new study, a single kidney from a very young deceased donor maintains the health of an adult with kidney failure.

In a new study, patients were more likely to survive without brain damage after a cardiac arrest if emergency medical technicians lowered their body temperature early during resuscitation. Cooling is recommended for comatose patients after cardiac arrest, and this study demonstrates the potential benefits of beginning cooling even sooner during the arrest in the pre-hospital setting.

The chance of surviving an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest has not improved since the 1950s, according to a new article. The analysis shows only 7.6 percent of victims survive an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.

Arizona researchers compared the survival rates in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest patients treated with positive-pressure ventilation (bag-valve mask) vs. passive oxygen flow. Survival was higher (38.2 percent) with passive oxygen flow than with assisted ventilation (25.8 percent). This study reinforces the notion that survival of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest might have more to do with circulating the blood through uninterrupted chest compressions than with ventilation.