Bystander CPR linked to lower nursing home admission and brain damage after cardiac arrest

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2015-08/esoc-bcl082815.php

Public Release: 30-Aug-2015
Bystander CPR linked to lower nursing home admission and brain damage after cardiac arrest
European Society of Cardiology

Bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) has been linked to a 30% lower risk of nursing home admission and brain damage in survivors of cardiac arrest outside hospital in research presented at ESC Congress today by Dr Kristian Kragholm, a PhD student in the Department of Anesthesiology, Cardiovascular Research Centre, Aalborg University Hospital, Denmark.

•••••

"We found that the risk of brain damage or nursing home admission was around 30% lower if bystanders performed CPR than if they did not," said Dr Kragholm. "When cardiac arrest occurs, the pump function of the heart abruptly stops and the oxygen supply to vital organs including the brain is impaired. This can lead to brain damage and the need for institutional care if the patient survives. Bystanders initiating CPR can help circulate oxygen in the blood to the brain and thereby increase the chances of patient survival without brain damage."

The researchers previously showed that national initiatives in Denmark between 2001 and 2011 increased bystander CPR and survival after cardiac arrest. These included mandatory basic life support courses in elementary schools and when acquiring a driver's license as well as introducing health care professionals into emergency dispatch centres to guide laymen's recognition of arrest and initiation of CPR.

•••••