WeàŒve all heard the old adage that in sudden cardiac arrest, “Time is muscle,” and weàŒve looked for ways to improve our systems of care, especially in regard to cardiac arrest. InàœResuscitate!, Dr. Eisenberg provides us with 25 steps we can take to improve cardiac arrest survival in our communities. He answers two main questions: 1) Why do some communities have excellent survival rates, while others donàŒt? and 2) What can be done to improve the chances of survival? Although this book is geared for EMS administrators and medical directors, every reader will take something away.àœ
Dr. Eisenberg first explains the four factors that affect survival: patient, event, system and therapy. He walks us through the characteristics of these factors, the research behind them and their association to survival. The latter half of the book describes the 25 steps we can take as volunteers, EMS personnel and directors, such as establishing public access defibrillation programs and increasing the utilization of dispatcher-assisted telephone CPR.
Although development of a comprehensive cardiac arrest registry and national performance standards will be more difficult to implement, Dr. Eisenberg makes the case of why theyàŒre so important. If your community is serious about improving survival from cardiac arrest, this is a must read.
Mark Meredith,MD, is an assistant professor of emergency medicine and pediatrics at theàœMonroe Carell Jr. ChildrenàŒs Hospital at Vanderbilt.àœHeàŒs also the medical director of the Nashville, Tenn.,àœ
Public Access Defibrillation program andàœassistant medical director for the Nashville Fire Department.
