Emerging pharmaceutical therapies in cardiopulmonary resuscitation and post-resuscitation syndrome

Abstract

Objective: The medication used in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) has by no means yielded the expected prognostic benefit. This review focuses on drugs that are currently under investigation as part of novel therapeutic strategies in CPR and post-resuscitation care.

Data sources: The main categories of drugs under investigation were identified in position papers regarding gaps in scientific knowledge and research priorities in CPR. The electronic bases of Medline via PubMed and the ClinicalTrials.gov registry were searched. Research terms were identified using the MESH database and were combined thereafter. Initial search terms were "cardiac arrest", "cardiopulmonary resuscitation", "post-cardiac arrest syndrome" combined with "drugs" and also the names of pharmaceutical categories and related drugs.

Results: Novel pharmaceutical approaches rely on a better understanding of the pathophysiology of cardiac arrest and post-resuscitation syndrome. Some medications are targeted primarily towards enhancing the return of spontaneous circulation and increasing survival rates, while others mostly aim at the attenuation of post-arrest myocardial and neurological impairment. Only a few of these therapies are currently being evaluated for clinical use. Despite the remarkable variability in study quality and success in achieving therapeutic targets, results for most therapies seem encouraging and support the continuation of research.

Conclusion: New pharmaceutical modalities are being investigated for future use in CPR. Currently, none has been unequivocally accepted for clinical use, while only a few of them are undergoing clinical testing. This research is likely to continue, in view of the unsatisfactory results of current pharmaceutical therapies and the encouraging results of preliminary studies.