[After your heart arrest, would you like to test a medicinal elixir?].
So far, cardiac arrest is still associated with high mortality or severe neurological disability in survivors. At the tissue level, cardiac arrest results into an acute condition of generalized hypoxia. A better understanding of the pathophysiology of ischemia-reperfusion and of the inflammatory response that develops after cardiac arrest could help to design novel therapeutic strategies in the future. It seems unlikely that a single drug, acting as a <<magic bullet>>, might be able to improve survival or neurological prognosis. Lessons learned from pathophysiological mechanisms rather indicate that combined therapies, involving thrombolysis, neuroprotective agents, antioxidants and anti-inflammatory molecules, together with temperature cooling, might represent helpful strategies to improve patient's outcome after cardiac arrest.
Carron
P-N
PN
Centre interdisciplinaire des urgences BH 06, CHUV, 1011 Lausanne. PierreNicolas.Carron@hospvd.ch
Hugli
O
O
Liaudet
L
L
Yersin
B
B
D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005343:Fibrinolytic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006323:Heart Arrest / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006801:Humans; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use
D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents; D000975:Antioxidants; D005343:Fibrinolytic Agents; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents