title: Post-cardiac arrest syndrome: epidemiology, pathophysiology, treatment, and prognostication. A Scientific Statement from the International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation; the American Heart Association Emergency Cardiovascular Care Committee; the Council on Cardiovascular Surgery and Anesthesia; the Council on Cardiopulmonary, Perioperative, and Critical Care; the Council on Clinical Cardiology; the Council on Stroke.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To review the epidemiology, pathophysiology, treatment and prognostication in relation to the post-cardiac arrest syndrome.
  
  
  METHODS
  Relevant articles were identified using PubMed, EMBASE and an American Heart Association EndNote master resuscitation reference library, supplemented by hand searches of key papers. Writing groups comprising international experts were assigned to each section. Drafts of the document were circulated to all authors for comment and amendment.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The 4 key components of post-cardiac arrest syndrome were identified as (1) post-cardiac arrest brain injury, (2) post-cardiac arrest myocardial dysfunction, (3) systemic ischaemia/reperfusion response, and (4) persistent precipitating pathology.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A growing body of knowledge suggests that the individual components of the post-cardiac arrest syndrome are potentially treatable.
authors.affiliation: Consultant in Anaesthesia and Intensive Care Medicine, Royal United Hospital, Bath, United Kingdom. jerry.nolan@ukgateway.net
authors.forename: Jerry P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Nolan
authors.forename: Robert W
authors.initials: RW
authors.lastname: Neumar
authors.forename: Christophe
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Adrie
authors.forename: Mayuki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Aibiki
authors.forename: Robert A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Berg
authors.forename: Bernd W
authors.initials: BW
authors.lastname: Böttiger
authors.forename: Clifton
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Callaway
authors.forename: Robert S B
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Clark
authors.forename: Romergryko G
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: Geocadin
authors.forename: Edward C
authors.initials: EC
authors.lastname: Jauch
authors.forename: Karl B
authors.initials: KB
authors.lastname: Kern
authors.forename: Ivan
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Laurent
authors.forename: W T
authors.initials: WT
authors.lastname: Longstreth
authors.forename: Raina M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Merchant
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Morley
authors.forename: Laurie J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Morrison
authors.forename: Vinay
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Nadkarni
authors.forename: Mary Ann
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Peberdy
authors.forename: Emanuel P
authors.initials: EP
authors.lastname: Rivers
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rodriguez-Nunez
authors.forename: Frank W
authors.initials: FW
authors.lastname: Sellke
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Spaulding
authors.forename: Kjetil
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sunde
authors.forename: Terry Vanden
authors.initials: TV
authors.lastname: Hoek
mesh_terms: D020208:Brain Injury, Chronic / Q000209:etiology; D006323:Heart Arrest / Q000150:complications* / Q000628:therapy; D006331:Heart Diseases / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D015427:Reperfusion Injury / Q000209:etiology; D013577:Syndrome