Adrenaline in out-of-hospital ventricular fibrillation. Does it make any difference?
GROUND: A large proportion of cardiac arrests outside hospital are caused by ventricular fibrillation. Although it is frequently used, the exact role of treatment with adrenaline in these patients remains to be determined. AIM: To describe the proportion of patients with witnessed out-of-hospital cardiac arrest found in ventricular fibrillation who survived and were discharged from hospital in relation to whether they were treated with adrenaline prior to hospital admission. PATIENTS AND TREATMENT: All the patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest found in ventricular fibrillation in Göteborg between 1981 and 1992 in whom cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) was initiated by our emergency medical service (EMS). During the observation period, some of the EMS staff were authorized to give medication and some were not. RESULTS: In all, 1360 patients were found in ventricular fibrillation and detailed information was available in 1203 cases (88%). Adrenaline was given in 417 cases (35%).