Peter J Kudenchuk, Siobhan P Brown, Mohamud Daya, Thomas Rea, Graham Nichol, Laurie J Morrison, Brian Leroux, Christian Vaillancourt, Lynn Wittwer, Clifton W Callaway, James Christenson, Debra Egan, Joseph P Ornato, Myron L Weisfeldt, Ian G Stiell, Ahamed H Idris, Tom P Aufderheide, James V Dunford, M Riccardo Colella, Gary M Vilke, Ashley M Brienza, Patrice Desvigne-Nickens, Pamela C Gray, Randal Gray, Norman Seals, Ron Straight, Paul Dorian
BACKGROUND: Antiarrhythmic drugs are used commonly in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest for shock-refractory ventricular fibrillation or pulseless ventricular tachycardia, but without proven survival benefit. METHODS: In this randomized, double-blind trial, we compared parenteral amiodarone, lidocaine, and saline placebo, along with standard care, in adults who had nontraumatic out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, shock-refractory ventricular fibrillation or pulseless ventricular tachycardia after at least one shock, and vascular access...
May 5, 2016: New England Journal of Medicine