title: I guideline for cardiopulmonary resuscitation and emergency cardiovascular care -- Brazilian Society of Cardiology: executive summary.
abstract: Despite advances related to the prevention and treatment in the past few years, many lives are lost to cardiac arrest and cardiovascular events in general in Brazil every year. Basic Life Support involves cardiovascular emergency treatment mainly in the pre-hospital environment, with emphasis on the early recognition and delivery of cardiopulmonary resuscitation maneuvers focused on high-quality thoracic compressions and rapid defibrillation by means of the implementation of public access-to-defibrillation programs. These aspects are of the utmost importance and may make the difference on the patient's outcomes, such as on hospital survival with no permanent neurological damage. Early initiation of the Advanced Cardiology Life Support also plays an essential role by keeping the quality of thoracic compressions; adequate airway management; specific treatment for the different arrest rhythms; defibrillation; and assessment and treatment of the possible causes during all the assistance. More recently, emphasis has been given to post-resuscitation care, with the purpose of reducing mortality by means of early recognition and treatment of the post-cardiac arrest syndrome. Therapeutic hypothermia has provided significant improvement of neurological damage and should be performed in comatose individuals post-cardiac arrest. For physicians working in the emergency department or intensive care unit, it is extremely important to improve the treatment given to these patients by means of specific training, thus giving them the chance of higher success and of better survival rates.
authors.affiliation: Sociedade Brasileira de Cardiologia, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil. maria.gonzalez@incor.usp.br
authors.forename: Maria Margarita
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Gonzalez
authors.forename: Sergio
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Timerman
authors.forename: Renan Gianotto
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: de Oliveira
authors.forename: Thatiane Facholi
authors.initials: TF
authors.lastname: Polastri
authors.forename: Luis Augusto Palma
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Dallan
authors.forename: Sebastião
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Araújo
authors.forename: Silvia Gelás
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: Lage
authors.forename: André
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Schmidt
authors.forename: Claudia San Martín
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: de Bernoche
authors.forename: Manoel Fernandes
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Canesin
authors.forename: Frederico José Neves
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Mancuso
authors.forename: Maria Helena
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Favarato
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001938:Brazil; D016887:Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation / Q000379:methods*; D047548:Defibrillators; D004632:Emergency Medical Services; D006323:Heart Arrest / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D058687:Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest / Q000628:therapy; D012121:Respiration, Artificial / Q000379:methods; D017180:Tachycardia, Ventricular / Q000628:therapy; D014693:Ventricular Fibrillation / Q000628:therapy