Resuscitation

Resuscitation is the set of medical interventions aimed at reviving someone who has stopped breathing, whose heart has stopped beating, or who otherwise lacks vital signs. The goal is to restore spontaneous circulation and breathing, minimize organ damage, and treat reversible causes such as airway obstruction, cardiac arrhythmia, shock, or trauma. Resuscitation can occur outside hospital, by lay responders or emergency medical services, or inside hospital settings in emergency departments and intensive care units.

Key components include cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), which combines chest compressions and rescue breaths to maintain blood flow and oxygen delivery; defibrillation to restore a normal heart rhythm when appropriate; and advanced life support, which involves airway management, vascular access, continuous monitoring, and administration of medications. Post-resuscitation care focuses on stabilization and prevention of further injury, including careful ventilation, circulatory support, and sometimes targeted temperature management to protect brain function.

Settings and outcomes vary. Out-of-hospital resuscitation relies on bystander action and EMS response, while in-hospital resuscitation is coordinated by dedicated teams. Survival depends on factors such as the underlying cause, time to intervention, and quality of resuscitation; neurological outcome is a key determinant of long-term prognosis.

Ethical and legal considerations include decisions about resuscitation status and do-not-resuscitate orders, as well as hospital code policies that shape when and how resuscitation is attempted. The field evolves with ongoing research and guideline updates from organizations such as the American Heart Association and the European Resuscitation Council.