Resuscitation research: Future directions and ethical issues

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation research is a vital area of research that has made significant contributions to medical care over the last several decad es. Abundant information currently exists in the medical literature, as a r esult of research in the areas of cardiac arrest and outcomes, physiology o f cardiac arrest, pharmacologic treatments, mechanical interventions, and s ocietal and ethical issues. Despite numerous clinical trials demonstrating physiologic benefit of various interventions, few interventions have had as much impact on outcomes of cardiac arrest as have improvements in out-of-h ospital response times and rapid availability of medical treatment. Althoug h abundant information exists regarding physiologic aspects of resuscitatio n, relatively little information exists about ethical, psychological, and s ocial aspects of resuscitation. In addition to attempts to improve outcomes of cardiac arrest, researchers should also strive to improve the experienc es of patients and families involved. These realities provide future strate gies and directions for the best use of resuscitation research resources; a lthough physiologic and pharmacologic research will always have significant roles in the improvement of medical care, the rapid delivery of out-of-hos pital care and ethical issues will be indispensable areas of research focus in the future.