title: Is internal massage superior to external massage for patients suffering a cardiac arrest after cardiac surgery?
abstract: A best evidence topic in cardiac surgery was written according to a structured protocol. The question addressed was whether open chest cardiac massage is superior to closed chest compressions in patients suffering cardiac arrest following cardiac surgery. Using the reported search, 527 papers were identified. Fifteen papers represented the best evidence on the subject and the author, journal, date and country of publication, patient group studied, study type, relevant outcomes, results and study comments and weaknesses were tabulated. The quality and level of evidence was assessed using the International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation guideline recommendations. We conclude that over 18 good quality animal studies have consistently demonstrated the superiority of open chest cardiac massage, with the cardiac index and coronary perfusion pressures often more than doubling. There are fewer human studies but they have shown that closed chest massage generates a cardiac index of around 0.6 l/min/m(2) which rises to 1.3 l/min/m(2) or more with open-chest-CPR, accompanied by even bigger improvements in coronary perfusion pressure. ILCOR recommends prompt conversion to open-chest-cardiac massage in patient's shortly post-cardiac surgery, and we would support this intervention if simple resuscitative efforts such as defibrillation, pacing or atropine fail, in order to significantly improve the quality of cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, James Cook University Hospital, Middlesbrough, UK. darraghtwomey@doctors.org.uk
authors.forename: Darragh
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Twomey
authors.forename: Moloy
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Das
authors.forename: Hariharan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Subramanian
authors.forename: Joel
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Dunning
mesh_terms: D003657:Decision Making; D006323:Heart Arrest / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy*; D006336:Heart Massage / Q000379:methods*; D019918:Heart Valve Prosthesis Implantation / Q000009:adverse effects*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011183:Postoperative Complications