The results of this study have major implications for the recommended standard of treatment of cardiac arrest by paramedics and hospitals across North America.
Heart disease is one of the number one killers in North America.
Unfortunately, fewer than 10 per cent of these cases, on average, survive. The first treatment is to use defibrillation as early as possible. If defibrillation does not work immediately, the next step is to use an anti-arrhythmic drug, followed by additional defibrillations. Traditionally, lidocaine has been the drug used in these cardiac arrest situations. Last year, the American Heart Association Advanced Life Support guidelines recommended a promising drug called amiodarone as an alternative.