Cardiac arrest occurs when the heart suddenly stops pumping. But some U.S. researchers believe cooling down vital organs may save countless lives from this sudden death. As it stands now, patients who suffer from cardiac arrest have about four to six minutes before irreversible brain damage occurs. But a report in the American Medical Association Journal says cooling the brain and the heart may temporarily protect cells from dying. A cooling system used on heart patients may give doctors about 15 minutes to save a patient's life.
Human testing is still a few years away.
The first ever trial to compare the most popular drugs to treat cardiac arrest has been completed. Researchers from St. Michael's Hospital and the University of Toronto say Amiodarone is the most effective drug to treat the condition. Fifty per cent more patients survived when they received Amiodarone compared to those who received the traditional treatment of Lidocaine. It's been dubbed the French paradox. Despite France's penchant for meats, cheeses and cigarettes, the country has a relatively low rate of heart disease.