Receiving hospital characteristics associated with survival after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.

Aim: Survival after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OOHCA) varies between regions, but the contribution of different factors to this variability is unknown. This study examined whether survival to hospital discharge was related to receiving hospital characteristics, including bed number, capability of performing cardiac catheterization and hospital volume of OOHCA cases.

Material And Methods: Prospective observational database of non-traumatic OOHCA assessed by emergency medical services was created in 8 US and 2 Canadian sites from December 1, 2005 to July 1, 2007.

Method of cold saline storage for prehospital induced hypothermia.

Objective: Research over the last decade has supported the use of cold intravenous (IV) fluid as a method for initiating therapeutic hypothermia in post-cardiac arrest resuscitation. However, prehospital care programs employing this treatment have encountered various difficulties. Barriers to prehospital induced hypothermia (IH) protocols include the lack of effective or economically reasonable methods to maintain cold saline in the field.