title: Assessment of reperfusion following thrombolysis with mean fibrillation and amplitude spectrum area in patients with sustained ventricular fibrillation.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Improved microcirculatory reperfusion in patients with ventricular fibrillation (VF) enhances the electrical activity of the fibrillation process and increases the likelihood of successful defibrillation.
  
  
  METHODS
  Changes in amplitude spectrum area (AMSA) and mean fibrillation (MF) in patients with sustained VF were analysed after administration of rt-PA variant tenecteplase in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) during cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 69 ECG sequences from nine patients were evaluated. Patients who received tenecteplase showed significantly longer duration of VF (p = 0.016). While AMSA declined significantly during CPR (p = 0.001), MF did not differ between groups. There were two survivors in the treatment group and one in the control group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  When tenecteplase was administered during CPR, VF lasted significantly longer than in controls. Changes in MF and AMSA did not indicate improved myocardial perfusion in patients who received tenecteplase during CPR.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anaesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, Anaesthesiology Research Laboratory, Innsbruck Medical University, Anichstrasse 35, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria. wolfgang.lederer@i-med.ac.at
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Lederer
authors.forename: C J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Schlimp
authors.forename: E-M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Ritter
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Niederklapfer
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Baubin
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Amann
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D016887:Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation; D004562:Electrocardiography / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015425:Myocardial Reperfusion; D015912:Thrombolytic Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D014693:Ventricular Fibrillation / Q000473:pathology* / Q000628:therapy*