Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2020 Oct 27;72(1):73.
doi: 10.1186/s43044-020-00106-9.

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation during the COVID-19 pandemic: a scientific statement on CPR management protocol of Kasr Al-Ainy University Hospital is presented

Hesham S Taha  1 , Mirna M Shaker  2 , Mohamed M Abdelghany  2
Affiliations
Review

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation during the COVID-19 pandemic: a scientific statement on CPR management protocol of Kasr Al-Ainy University Hospital is presented

Hesham S Taha et al. Egypt Heart J. .

Abstract

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic poses a major burden to the healthcare system in Egypt, and in the face of a highly infective disease which can prove fatal, healthcare systems need to change their management protocols to meet these new challenges.

Main body: This scientific statement, developed by the cardiology department at Cairo University, emphasized 6 different aspects that are intended to guide healthcare providers during cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) in the era of the COVID-19 pandemic. It highlighted the importance of dealing with all cardiac arrest victims, during the pandemic, as potential COVID-19 cases, and the use of appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) by health care providers during the procedure. It also stated that the CPR procedure should be done in a separate room with the door closed and that the number of providers present during the procedure should be limited to only those who are essential for patient resuscitation. It also stressed that family members and accompanying personnel of patients with possible COVID-19 should not be in the vicinity of CPR site. The statement also pointed out that CPR procedure should be done in the standard manner with precautions to minimize spread of infection to the staff and accompanying people. Early intubation was prioritized, and the use of rapid sequence intubation with appropriate PPE was recommended. For delivery of CPR for the prone ventilated patient, delivery of chest compressions by pressing the patient's back, while a team prepares to turn the patient supine, was recommended. During intra-hospital transport, it was emphasized that the receiving intensive care unit (ICU) should be notified about the possibility of the patient being COVID-19 positive, so that appropriate infection control precautions are taken.

Conclusion: Cardiopulmonary resuscitation of cardiac arrest patients in the COVID-19 era poses a significant challenge, and all health care providers should deal with any cardiac arrest victim presenting to the emergency department as potential COVID-19 suspects and should use the appropriate PPE.

Keywords: COVID-19; Cardiac arrest; Cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Basic life support algorithm for adults during the COVID-19 pandemic
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Advanced cardiac life support algorithm for adults during the COVID-19 pandemic
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Taha HS, Bakhoum SWG, Kasem HH, Fahim MAS. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation quality of cardiopulmonary resuscitation of in-hospital cardiac arrest and its relation to clinical outcome: an Egyptian university hospital experience. Egyptian Heart J. 2015;67:137–143. doi: 10.1016/j.ehj.2014.11.001. - DOI
    1. Wu Z, McGoogan JM. Characteristics of and important lessons from the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak in China: summary of a report of 72314 cases from the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention. JAMA. 2020;323:1239–1242. doi: 10.1001/jama.2020.2648. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Severe outcomes among patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)–United States, February 12-March 16, 2020. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2020;69:343–346. doi: 10.15585/mmwr.mm6912e2. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. W-j G, Z-y N, Hu Y, Liang W-H, Ou C-Q, He J-X, Liu L, Shan H, Lei C-L, DSC H, et al. Clinical characteristics of coronavirus disease 2019 in China. N Engl J Med. 2020;382:1708–1720. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa2002032. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Shao F, Xu S, Ma X, et al. In-hospital cardiac arrest outcomes among patients with COVID-19 pneumonia in Wuhan, China. Resuscitation. 2020;151:18–23. doi: 10.1016/j.resuscitation.2020.04.005. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources