Successful cardiopulmonary resuscitation outcome reviews

An implicit question in every pre-hospital cardiopulmonary resuscitation (C PR) scenario is 'what will be the quality of life if a save is achieved?' T his issue has implications for doctrine, policy, training and post-CPR coun selling of both resuscitator and victim. Post-salvage neurological syndrome s in surviving victims include amnesia, personality change, cognitive loss, depression, Parkinsonian syndromes, decorticate and decerebrate states and permanent brain damage with vegetative existence. Children who are salvage d by CPR rarely have pre-existing co-morbidities: but 75% of adults have pr e-existing cardiac disease, cancer or diabetes. Such, of course, continue a fter a successful resuscitation. In the case of children who are resuscitat ed from acute hypoxic insults, the quality of life is generally good and, i n the specific instance of survivors from near-drowning, some 95% will lead lives relatively unmodified. Although successful CPR resuscitation rates r emain low in adults, the quality of life of those who leave hospital remain s generally high. CPR involves two feature subjects, the resuscitator and t he victim. Just as for the victim, so too the resuscitator's life is modifi ed by CPR and its aftermath, whether immediate salvage has been achieved or not. This review addresses these issues, as a successful CPR (dramatic as it is) is not a conclusion but the beginning of a new phase of life for bot h resuscitator and victim. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All right s reserved.