The purpose of resuscitation in cardiac arrest, is to restore oxygenated blood supply to the organs, most importantly the brain. What are the oxygen targets in cardiac arrest and post arrest that we should be aiming for?
Hypoxic ischaemic encephalopathy (HIE), which is neuronal death post cardiac arrest occurs early….as early as 5 minutes after blood flow is reduced. Certainly within 30 – 40 minutes irreversible damage is established and poor neurological outcomes are almost certain, if survival occurs.
In this podcast we discuss oxygenation and ventilation targets.