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Previous Volume 344:1304-1313 April 26, 2001 Number 17 Next

	Since this article has no abstract, we have provided an extract of the first 100 words of the full text and any section headings.

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At least 225,000 people in the United States will die suddenly this year from coronary heart disease before they reach a hospital.^1,2 In addition, an estimated 370,000 to 750,000 patients will have a cardiac arrest and undergo attempted resuscitation during hospitalization.³ The causes of cardiac arrest are numerous; by far the most common in adults is ischemic cardiovascular disease.^4,5,6 The arrest is usually associated with the lethal arrhythmia of ventricular fibrillation triggered by an acutely ischemic or infarcted myocardium or by a primary electrical disturbance. The precipitants of a life-threatening arrhythmia such as ventricular fibrillation are poorly understood.^6,7 The demographic . . . [Full Text of this Article]

The Chain of Survival

Rapid Access

Rapid Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation

Rapid Defibrillation

Rapid Advanced Care

Management of Cardiac Arrest

Ventricular Fibrillation and Pulseless Ventricular Tachycardia

Pulseless Electrical Activity

Asystole

Immediate Postresuscitation Care

Common Errors in Cardiac Resuscitation

Controversies and New Developments

When to Stop

When Not to Start

Source Information

From the Division of Emergency Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle.

Address reprint requests to Dr. Eisenberg at the Emergency Medicine Service, University of Washington Medical Center, Box 356123, Seattle, WA 98195-6123, or at gingy@u.washington.edu.

References

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