During a cardiac arrest, toxic substances accumulate in the blood, which a new procedure is now intended to reduce.
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A device is intended to optimize blood circulation in the body after cardiac arrest. An initial study gives cause for hope, but it is unclear who can benefit.
bA cardiac arrest requires immediate medical attention. And even then, the chances of survival – without neurological sequelae – are slim. Depending on whether the accident occurred outside or inside a hospital, the proportion of those rescued is between 6 and 26 percent. Countless attempts to change this have so far proven less successful. With a new procedure, it could now be possible to significantly improve the chances of survival and recovery for those affected. The results of a new study in which clinics in Germany, Austria and the Netherlands were involved at least give cause for hope.
The innovative therapeutic approach was developed by scientists at the University Hospital in Freiburg, including the heart surgeons Friedhelm Beyersdorf and Georg Trummer and the engineer Christoph Benk. The new treatment method is based on the knowledge gained through decades of research that the organs and even the brain can cope with a prolonged lack of oxygen if the reperfusion following the circulatory arrest takes place in a certain way. It has proven to be essential to change the composition of the blood before it flows through the veins again. During a cardiac arrest, many toxic metabolic products accumulate, which cause considerable damage to the organism as soon as the circulation starts again.
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