While advanced cardiac life support has undoubtedly saved millions of lives, it remains unclear if some interventions that have evolved throughout the years actually improve patient outcomes. During a session this Tuesday morning, four experts will explore The Untold Tales of Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation. This session, which will review aspects of resuscitation practice that continue to spark debate, will take place at 8:45 am in room 295 at the convention center.
Session chair Xavier Fonseca Fuentes, MD, a pulmonary and critical care fellow at the Mayo Clinic, said that while resuscitation algorithms have been developed and modified based on a large body of medical evidence from multiple, large, randomized clinical trials, questions remain.
Those questions primarily pertain to the following:
- The use of surrogates of tissue perfusion;
- Controversies in advanced cardiac life support pharmacology;
- The use of automatic CPR devices vs traditional chest compressions; and
- Targeted temperature management.
The session will begin with a talk by Dr. Fonseca Fuentes, who will discuss the role of capnography and other surrogates of tissue perfusion in resuscitation.
“ACLS highlights the importance of standardizing a universal protocol in their guidelines,” he said. “Despite this, the great availability of resuscitation resources has given us the opportunity to explore different paths with variable outcomes. The increased awareness of resuscitation generates a rapidly evolving system where novel interventions can potentially become the new standard of care.”
As part of his lecture, Dr. Fonseca Fuentes will review the current evidence-based data related to resuscitation and the possible implications that may have for future clinical practice.
The session will also include a lecture by Wesly Pierce, PharmD, a clinical assistant professor of pharmacy practice at the University of Mississippi. He will present “Controversies in ACLS Pharmacology.”
Viren Kaul, MD, a pulmonologist and critical care provider at Crouse Health, will then discuss the benefits and limitations of CPR machines compared to conventional chest compressions. And finally, Govind Pandompatam, MD, a pulmonologist and critical care medicine specialist at HSHS Medical Group, will present “Targeted Temperature Management: When Should We Use It?”
The increased awareness of resuscitation generates a rapidly evolving system where novel interventions can potentially become the new standard of care.
Xavier Fonseca Fuentes, MD