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 (Part 1).
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 postcardiac arrest syndrome are potentially treatable.
Consultant in Anaesthesia and Intensive Care Medicine, Royal United Hospital, Bath, United Kingdom. jerry.nolan@ukgateway.net
Jerry P
JP
Nolan
Robert W
RW
Neumar
Christophe
C
Adrie
Mayuki
M
Aibiki
Robert A
RA
Berg
Bernd W
BW
Bbttiger
Clifton
C
Callaway
Robert S B
RS
Clark
Romergryko G
RG
Geocadin
Edward C
EC
Jauch
Karl B
KB
Kern
Ivan
I
Laurent
W T
WT
Longstreth
Raina M
RM
Merchant
Peter
P
Morley
Laurie J
LJ
Morrison
Vinay
V
Nadkarni
Mary Ann
MA
Peberdy
Emanuel P
EP
Rivers
Antonio
A
Rodriguez-Nunez
Frank W
FW
Sellke
Christian
C
Spaulding
Kjetil
K
Sunde
Terry Vanden
TV
Hoek