ABSTRACT
Since the onset of the coronavirus disease, infection-related mortality has been tracked worldwide and the number of deaths caused by the virus is counted daily. The coronavirus pandemic has not only transformed our daily life, but reorganized the whole healthcare system. In response to the increased demand for hospital admissions, leaders in different countries have implemented a number of emergency actions. The restructuring has had both direct and indirect negative effects on the epidemiology of sudden cardiac death, the willingness of lay rescuer to give cardiopulmonary resuscitation and the use of automated external defibrillators, but these negative effects vary widely across continents and countries. In order to protect lay people and health workers as well as to prevent the spread of the pandemic, the previous recommendations of the European Resuscitation Council on basic and advanced life support have undergone a few modifications. Orv Hetil. 2023; 164(13): 483-487.
Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation , Emergency Medical Services , Heart Arrest , Humans , Pandemics , COVID-19/epidemiology , Heart Arrest/therapy , Death, Sudden, Cardiac/epidemiology , Death, Sudden, Cardiac/prevention & controlABSTRACT
Survival rate for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest remains low across Europe. In the last decade, involving bystanders turned out to be one of the most important key factors in improving the outcome of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. Beside recognizing cardiac arrest and initiate chest compressions, bystanders could be also involved in delivering early defibrillation. Although adult basic life support is a sequence of simple interventions that can be easily learnt even by schoolchildren, non-technical skills and emotional components can complicate real-life situations. This recognition combined with modern technology brings a new point of view in teaching and implementation. We review the latest practice guidelines and new advances in the education (including the importance of non-technical skills) of out-of-hospital adult basic life support, also considering the effects of COVID-19 pandemic. We briefly present the Szív City application developed to support the involvement of lay rescuers. Orv Hetil. 2023; 164(12): 443-448.
Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation , Emergency Medical Services , Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest , Adult , Humans , Child , Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation/education , Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest/therapy , Pandemics , COVID-19/therapy , COVID-19/complications , HospitalsABSTRACT
The coronavirus pandemic is a serious challenge for healthcare workers worldwide. The virus is spread through the air by droplets of moisture when people cough or sneeze and it has a very high virulence. Procedures generating airway aerosols are dangerous for every participant of patient care. Mortality of COVID-19 is above 10%, thus cardiopulmonary resuscitation is an often needed intervention in this patient group. Resuscitation is an aerosol-generating process and thus carries the risk of contamination. The goal of this article is to give a practice-based overview of the specialities of cardiopulmonary resuscitation in coronavirus-infected patients. Orv Hetil. 2020. 161(17): 710712.