Podcast #264: Witnessed Cardiac Arrest

For patients with in-hospital cardiac arrest, intubation in the 1st 15 minutes of resuscitation was associated with worse outcomes (mortality, neurologic outcome). This is likely due to cessation of high-quality CPR and defibrillation during the intubation sequence.

In those with an in-hospital, shockable, cardiac arrest, administration of epinephrine before the 2nd defibrillatory shock was associated with worse outcome. This was likely due to the cessation of high-quality CPR.

For in-hospital cardiac arrest, resuscitation should focus on high-quality CPR.