October 2025; papers of the month

This month we’ve got three really interesting papers that shine a light on aspects of cardiac arrest management that many of us will recognise from clinical practice.

First up, we look at the feasibility of arterial line placement during ongoing cardiac arrest in the Emergency Department. In our SPEAR episode we talked about the balance between securing invasive monitoring versus the potential distraction from other essential parts of resuscitation. This paper takes a pragmatic look at whether arterial access is achievable in that critical period in the Emergency Department, the success rate and the time required. 

Next up, we look at a paper that helps to give us a more accurate feel for the rate and predictors of high-risk adverse events for Emergency Department paediatric ketamine sedation.

Our final paper looks at ultrasound during cardiac arrest. Specifically, whether the hands-off time during the pulse check are longer with traditional manual checks or with ultrasound. This systematic review and meta-analysis puts some numbers to the best way to minimising hands-off time.

So whether you’re a regular on the arrest team, sedating children, or supporting resuscitation from the periphery, these papers provide some useful food for thought on where our focus should be in those critical minutes.

Once again we’d love to hear any thoughts or feedback either on the website or via X @TheResusRoom!

Simon & Rob