Transmission of Infections during Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation.

Clin Microbiol Rev

Fourth Department of Internal Medicine, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Attikon University Hospital, Athens, Greece.

Published: December 2021

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is an emergency lifesaving endeavor, performed in either the hospital or outpatient settings, that significantly improves outcomes and survival rates when performed in a timely fashion. As with any other medical procedure, CPR can bear potential risks not only for the patient but also for the rescuer. Among those risks, transmission of an infectious agent has been one of the most compelling triggers of reluctance to perform CPR among providers. The concern for transmission of an infection from the resuscitated subject may impede prompt initiation and implementation of CPR, compromising survival rates and neurological outcomes of the patients. Infections during CPR can be potentially acquired through airborne, droplet, contact, or hematogenous transmission. However, only a few cases of infection transmission have been actually reported globally. In this review, we present the available epidemiological findings on transmission of different pathogens during CPR and data on reluctance of health care workers to perform CPR. We also outline the levels of personal protective equipment and other protective measures according to potential infectious hazards that providers are potentially exposed to during CPR and summarize current guidelines on protection of CPR providers from international societies and stakeholders.

Download full-text PDF

Source
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8404692PMC
http://dx.doi.org/10.1128/CMR.00018-21DOI Listing

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

cpr
9
cardiopulmonary resuscitation
8
survival rates
8
perform cpr
8
cpr providers
8
transmission
6
transmission infections
4
infections cardiopulmonary
4
resuscitation cardiopulmonary
4
resuscitation cpr
4

Similar Publications

Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?

Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!