title: Passive leg raise (PLR) during cardiopulmonary (CPR) - a method article on a randomised study of survival in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA).
abstract: BACKGROUND
  It is estimated that about 275,000 inhabitants experience an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) every year in Europe. Survival in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest is relatively low, generally between five per cent and 10%. Being able to explore new methods to improve the relatively low survival rate is vital for people with these conditions. Passive leg raise (PLR) during cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) has been found to improve cardiac preload and blood flow during chest compressions. The aim of our study is to evaluate whether early PLR during CPR also has an impact on one-month survival in sudden and unexpected out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA).
  
  
  METHODS
  A prospective, randomized, controlled trial in which all patients (≥18 years) receiving out-of hospital CPR are randomized by envelope to be treated with either PLR or in the flat position. The ambulance crew use a special folding stool which allows the legs to be elevated about 20 degrees. Primary end-point: survival to one month. Secondary end-point: survival to hospital admission to one month and to one year with acceptable cerebral performance classification (CPC) 1-2.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  PLR is a simple and fast maneuver. We believe that the greatest benefit with PLR is when performed early in the process, during the first minutes of CPR and before the first defibrillation. To reach power this study need 3000 patients, we hope that this method article will encourage other sites to contact us and take part in our study.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01952197.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nursing, University Rovira i Virgili, Tarragona, Spain. maria.jimenez@urv.cat.
authors.forename: María F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Jiménez-Herrera
authors.forename: Youcef
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Azeli
authors.forename: Eva
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Valero-Mora
authors.forename: Isaac
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Lucas-Guarque
authors.forename: Alfonso
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: López-Gomariz
authors.forename: Elena
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Castro-Naval
authors.forename: Christer
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Axelsson
mesh_terms: D016887:Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation / Q000379:methods*; D004632:Emergency Medical Services / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D035002:Lower Extremity; D008297:Male; D058687:Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest / Q000628:therapy*; D011187:Posture; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012107:Research Design; D015996:Survival Rate; D013997:Time Factors