Harnessing Cardiopulmonary Interactions to Improve Circulation and Outcomes After Cardiac Arrest and Other States of Low Blood Pressure

This chapter reviews the traditional therapies used to treat sudden cardiac arrest and shock (cardiopulmonary resuscitation or CPR) and presents modifications of this standard technique to enhance the delivery of oxygenated blood to the heart and brain. In addition, the authors provide descriptions of novel noninvasive technologies that can be used to increase the chance of survival, in particular technologies that provide intrathoracic pressure regulation (IPR) therapy to improve perfusion in profound states of shock. Furthermore, impedance threshold devices and active compression-decompression (ACD) CPR treatment are described, and the results of numerous animal and clinical studies are presented.