TORONTO , Nov. 7, 2022 /CNW/ – A new Heart & Stroke-sponsored study published in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) suggests using two defibrillators to deliver a sequential or “double” shock to the heart and changing the standard pillow positions used by first responders could improve survival for those experiencing cardiac arrest. Dr. Sheldon Cheskes, a heart and stroke-funded researcher and professor of Emergency Medicine in the Department of Family and Community Medicine at the University of Toronto, and his team conducted the four-year trial in six paramedic services in Ontario, which included 4,000 paramedics. . The study, presented at the American Heart Association Resuscitation Science Symposium – Late Breaking Trials, compared two new techniques with standard care for patients receiving care from paramedics participating in the trial. All patients who remained in ventricular fibrillation (VF) after 3 shocks using standard defibrillation techniques continued to receive defibrillation using standard defibrillation techniques or one of the following strategies:
One technique, double sequential external defibrillation (DSED), involved applying a second set of pads from a second defibrillator to the patient and shocking the patient sequentially using the two defibrillators. The second technique, carrier switch defibrillation (VC defibrillation), involved changing the standard pad position known as an anterior-lateral pad to an anterior-posterior pad.
Notably, DSED was found to significantly improve both survival and neurologic outcomes, while defibrillation with vector switching improved survival compared with current standard of care. Survival to hospital discharge was 30.4% in the DSED group compared with 21.7% in the switch group and 13.3% in the standard care group. These findings are most notable for first responders when standard external defibrillation methods are ineffective. “I’m so proud of the paramedics who trained and participated in the trial, as they clearly demonstrated that these new strategies could improve outcomes for these patients,” says Dr. Ceskes, who is also a scientist at St. a website of Unity Health Toronto. “This trial has the potential to change practice around the world while saving the lives of patients suffering from refractory ventricular fibrillation.” An estimated 35,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests occur each year in Canada. This means, on average, one cardiac arrest every 15 minutes. Cardiac arrest can strike anyone, anywhere, anytime, at any age, without warning. Currently, 80% of cardiac arrests occur outside the hospital and nine out of ten of these people do not survive. Performing CPR and using an AED on a person experiencing cardiac arrest can double their chances of survival. “Heart & Stroke is proud to fund such important research, the first of its kind in the world, here in Canada,” says Diego Marchese, Executive Vice President, Research, Heart & Stroke. “The findings of Dr. Cheskes is promising for improving methods for first responders to administer defibrillation and ultimately save more lives.” Since 2010, Heart & Stroke, along with its funding partners, has placed more than AED 15,000 in communities across Canada. We’ve also taught millions of Canadians the simple, life-saving steps of CPR. About Heart & Stroke ZOE. We don’t want you to miss it. That’s why Heart & Stroke has been leading the fight to beat heart disease and stroke for 70 years. We need to create the next medical breakthroughs so Canadians don’t miss out on precious moments. Together, we work to prevent disease, save lives and promote recovery through research, health promotion and public policy. Heartandstroke.ca @heartandstroke SOURCE Heart and Stroke Foundation For more information: Alicia D’Aguiar, [email protected]647-426-8410
