Systematically increasing the duration of resuscitation in patients with cardiac arrest may improve survival, according to American investigators. The average duration of resuscitation was 12 minutes for patients who returned to spontaneous circulation, compared with 20 minutes for non-survivors. Patients at hospitals in the quartile with the longest attempts (25 minutes) were more likely to return to spontaneous circulation and survive to discharge when compared with patients at hospitals in the quartile with the shortest attempts in non-survivors (16 minutes).
Abstract: Lancet, September 5, 2012.
