New UMN Medical School Research May Improve Survival Rates Among Cardiac Arrest Patients

A new article published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology (JACC) details research by Professor Demetri Yannopoulos, MD, from our Department of Medicine, that may help boost survival rates among cardiac arrest patients. Yannopoulos' article,  "Coronary Artery Disease in Patients With Out-of-Hospital Refractory Ventricular Fibrillation Cardiac Arrest," is featured in the August 29, 2017, issue of JACC. 

In an accompanying editorial comment, Pier D. Lambiase, MD, Ph.D., writes that out-of-hospital cardiac arrest affects 235,000 to 325,000 Americans each year, while the likelihood of surviving such an event remains low. Early CPR and defibrillation, he writes, are vital, along with the care a patient receives after reaching the hospital. Dr. Yannopoulos' latest research contributes to this "chain of survival."

A subscription is required to view the full-text version of the article, but a summary of the research is also featured in a new article on MedPage Today, "Novel Cath Lab Transport Strategy May Boost Survival in Cardiac Arrest," which calls Yannopoulos' findings "remarkable."