Combining xenon and mild therapeutic hypothermia preserves neurological function after prolonged cardiac arrest in pigs.

Objective: Despite the introduction of mild therapeutic hypothermia into postcardiac arrest care, cerebral and myocardial injuries represent the limiting factors for survival after cardiac arrest. Administering xenon may confer an additional neuroprotective effect after successful cardiopulmonary resuscitation due to its ability to stabilize cellular calcium homeostasis via N-methyl-D-aspartate-receptor antagonism.

Design: In a porcine model, we evaluated effects of xenon treatment in addition to therapeutic hypothermia on neuropathologic and functional outcomes after cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

Hydrogen sulfide does not increase resuscitability in a porcine model of prolonged cardiac arrest.

Treatment options to improve resuscitability and neurological prognosis after cardiac arrest (CA) are limited. Hydrogen sulfide has demonstrated remarkable improvements in outcomes in small animal models of severe hypoxia or hemorrhage. We investigated the influence of sodium sulfide (Na2S), a liquid hydrogen sulfide donor, on resuscitability, postresuscitation hemodynamics, and neurological performance in a porcine model of prolonged CA and cardiopulmonary resuscitation.