Journal Article

Amiodarone, Lidocaine, or Placebo in Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest

Morrison, Laurie J, Brienza, Ashley M, Vilke, Gary M, Dunford, James V, Colella, M. Riccardo, Stiell, Ian G, Idris, Ahamed H, Nichol, Graham, Desvigne-Nickens, Patrice, Gray, Randal, Leroux, Brian, Weisfeldt, Myron L, Brown, Siobhan P, Straight, Ron, Wittwer, Lynn, Callaway, Clifton W, Ornato, Joseph P, Kudenchuk, Peter J, Seals, Norman, Daya, Mohamud, Rea, Thomas, Aufderheide, Tom P, Gray, Pamela C, Egan, Debra, Dorian, Paul, Vaillancourt, Christian, Christenson, James

2016

Overview

In this trial, patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest received amiodarone, lidocaine, or placebo for shock-refractory ventricular fibrillation or pulseless ventricular tachycardia. There were no significant between-group differences in survival to hospital discharge. Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest is responsible for more than 300,000 deaths each year in North America. 1 Many out-of-hospital cardiac arrests are attributable to ventricular fibrillation or pulseless ventricular tachycardia. Although ventricular fibrillation or pulseless ventricular tachycardia is regarded as the most treatable presentation of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest because of its responsiveness to shock, 2 most defibrillation attempts do not result in sustained return of spontaneous circulation. 3 Ventricular fibrillation or pulseless ventricular tachycardia commonly persists or recurs after shock, and there is a significant inverse relationship between the duration of ventricular fibrillation or pulseless ventricular tachycardia, or the frequency of acute recurrences, and . . .

• Publisher: Massachusetts Medical Society
• Subject: Adult / Aged / Amiodarone / Amiodarone - adverse effects / Amiodarone - therapeutic use / Anti-Arrhythmia Agents - adverse effects / Anti-Arrhythmia Agents - therapeutic use / Arrhythmia / Cardiac arrest / Cardiac arrhythmia / Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation - methods / Central Nervous System Diseases - epidemiology / Combined Modality Therapy / Double-Blind Method / Double-blind studies / Drug therapy / Electric Countershock / Emergency medical care / Emergency Medical Services / Female / Fibrillation / Heart attacks / Humans / Intention to Treat Analysis / Lidocaine / Lidocaine - adverse effects / Lidocaine - therapeutic use / Male / Middle Aged / Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest - drug therapy / Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest - mortality / Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest - therapy / Patient Discharge / Patients / Pharmaceuticals / Shock / Survival / Survival Rate / Tachycardia / Tachycardia, Ventricular - complications / Ventricle / Ventricular Fibrillation - complications / Ventricular Fibrillation - therapy