Emerging and Future Technologies in Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest Care

Abstract

The care for victims of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest is evolving and will be influenced by future and emerging technologies that will play a role in the systems of care for these patients. Recent advances in extracorporeal life support and point-of-care ultrasound imaging, both in-hospital and out-of-hospital, may offer a therapeutic solution in some systems for patients with refractory or recurrent cardiac arrest. Drones capable of delivering automated external defibrillators to the scene of an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, advances in digital and mobile technologies to notify and leverage bystander response, and wearable life detection technologies may improve survival.

Keywords: Aircraft; Crowdsourcing; Defibrillators; Emergency medical services; Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation; Mobile applications; Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest; Ultrasound.