Early Amiodarone in Shockable Cardiac Arrest

Launched by OREGON HEALTH AND SCIENCE UNIVERSITY · Nov 6, 2024

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

This clinical trial, titled "Early Amiodarone in Shockable Cardiac Arrest," is investigating whether giving a heart medication called amiodarone earlier than usual can help patients who have a cardiac arrest due to specific heart rhythms, like ventricular fibrillation or ventricular tachycardia. The goal is to see if starting amiodarone during the same emergency cycle as another medication, epinephrine, improves how quickly patients receive this important treatment compared to the standard approach.

To be eligible for this trial, participants must have experienced a non-traumatic cardiac arrest outside of a hospital and have the right heart rhythms when assessed by emergency medical services (EMS). Key factors that would exclude someone from participating include having an allergy to amiodarone or certain pre-existing medical orders against resuscitation. If you or a loved one qualify, the trial will involve receiving either the standard treatment or the modified approach, and you will be monitored closely during the process to assess the effectiveness of the earlier medication delivery.

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria:
• • Emergency medical services (EMS)-treated non-traumatic out-of-hospital cardiac arrest
• • Initial rhythm on EMS rhythm assessment of ventricular fibrillation or ventricular tachycardia
• • Recurrence or persistence of ventricular fibrillation or ventricular tachycardia after one defibrillation attempt
• Exclusion Criteria:
• • Known allergy to amiodarone
• • EMS-assessed contraindication to amiodarone
• • Pre-existing "do-not-attempt-resuscitation" orders
• • Inter-facility transportations
• • Initial care by a non-participating EMS agency able to perform advanced life support interventions
• • Pediatric patient as determined by EMS
• • Prisoners
• • Pregnant patients