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The article discusses changes to the European Resuscitation Council guidelines for adult resuscitation. Topics include that about 8 percent of people having an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest survive to discharge; and the need to use a stepwise approach to airway management, moving on to more advanced techniques only if ventilation fails.

Background: We conducted a rapid review of current international and Australian advanced life support (ALS) guidelines for cardiac arrest associated with anaphylaxis to (1) assess the variation and (2) determine if a systematic review update of ALS guideline recommendations is warranted.Method: A search and comparison of key recommendations was conducted for major international and Australian clinical guidelines, including member societies and councils of the World Allergy Organisation and the International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation (ILCOR). Systematic database searches (Medline, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, PROSPERO international register of systematic reviews and ClinicalTrials.gov databases) was conducted to identify existing and in-progress research published on the topic of anaphylaxis and cardiac arrest.Results: Eight international guidelines were identified from Australia/New Zealand, Europe, United States and Canada, and 5 national guidelines were identified for Australia. There was general consensus across all guidelines for the use of adrenaline, oxygen, patient positioning and glucagon. There was variation across international and Australian guidelines for adrenaline dosing and frequency, antihistamines and corticosteroid recommendations. Most recommendations were based on low-level evidence, and the review of published systematic reviews and clinical trials identified new evidence in the last decade.Conclusions: We found significant variation between current ALS guideline recommendations for treating anaphylaxis. While there is no new evidence to suggest a systematic review of guideline recommendations is needed, there may be an opportunity to produce more consistent international guideline recommendations and educational materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

About 500,000 people suffer a sudden cardiac arrest in Europe every year but their treatment has not been satisfactory for years. The main issues in the Guidelines for cardiopulmonary resuscitation launched by the European Resuscitation Council in October 2010 are summarized in the article. The changes in the new recommendations are based on recent scientific evidence in resuscitation medicine and an effort to make them simpler compared to the last 2005 Guidelines. Chest compression remains the most important action in both basic and advanced life support. The victim's chest must be pushed hard into the depth of at least 5 centimetres with a frequency of at least 100 per minute. Higher employment of automated external defibrillators and better availability of devices to deliver early defibrillation are encouraged. Some steps in the advanced life support algorithm have also changed. Neither tracheal administration of drugs nor atropine in asystole have been recommended, a treatment of the post-cardiac arrest syndrome has been emphasized, and the adverse effects of hyperoxia have been proven. Chest compressions, early defibrillation, and early therapeutic hypothermia are the key procedures of cardiopulmonary resuscitation affecting favourable outcome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The European Trauma Course (ETC) was officially launched during the international conference of the European Resuscitation Council (ERC) in 2008. The ETC was developed on behalf of ESTES (European Society of Trauma and Emergency Surgery), EuSEM (European Society of Emergency Medicine), the ESA (European Society of Anaesthesiology) and the ERC. The objective of the ETC is to provide an internationally recognised and certified life support course, and to teach healthcare professionals the key principles of the initial care of severely injured patients. Its core elements, that differentiates it from other trauma courses, are a strong focus on team training and a novel modular design that is adaptable to the differing regional European requirements. This article describes the lessons learnt during the European Trauma Course development and provides an outline of the planned future development. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The Advanced Life Support (ALS) course was designed initially to teach, and thereby enhance the practice and effectiveness of, resuscitation from cardiac arrest. The target candidates were doctors, nurses and paramedics, and particularly those working in areas likely to encounter such an emergency. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This European Resuscitation Council (ERC) Guidelines for Resuscitation 2018 update is focused on the role of antiarrhythmic drugs during advanced life support for cardiac arrest with shock refractory ventricular fibrillation/pulseless ventricular tachycardia in adults, children and infants. This update follows the publication of the International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation (ILCOR) 2018 International Consensus on Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and Emergency Cardiovascular Care Science with Treatment Recommendations (CoSTR). The ILCOR CoSTR suggests that any beneficial effects of amiodarone or lidocaine are similar. This ERC update does not make any major changes to the recommendations for the use of antiarrhythmic drugs during advanced life support for shock refractory cardiac arrest., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)