Resuscitation in hostile environments

Plain English summary of protocol

Background and study aims
Thousands of people suffer a cardiac arrest every day, but the state of their heart presents conditions to survive. The lack of cardiac activity produces an absence of perfusion to all the organs of the body, producing a tissue damage that can be definitive and irreversible if one does not act quickly and in a coordinated way. Thus, the satisfactory survival of cardiac arrest depends on a concatenated series of critical interventions. To achieve the greatest possibility of survival for victims suffering cardiac arrest, it is necessary to replace the essential functions to maintain cerebral, pulmonary and cardiac perfusion. Perform a conventional resuscitation requires training, training and why not say, certain physical conditions to be able to tolerate for the time necessary to perform the techniques and also do it with the necessary quality. Develop a resuscitation under a hostile environment, both for victims and rescuers, such as situations such as extreme environmental temperatures, increased body weight of resuscitators, use of personal protective equipment against biological or chemical risks, resuscitation at altitude , etc., implies an increase in metabolic needs, marking a strategy of action and reaction in the intervention very different from that performed in conventional scenarios.

Who can participate?
Any person over 18 with certified knowledge (ERC or AHA) in basic resuscitation.

What does the study involve?
Physiological, metabolic and psychological impact on resuscitators when performing a basic cardiopulmonary resuscitation for 10 minutes. The proposed practical case is the same, a cardiac arrest in which the personnel present at the scene (1 rescuer) must perform the resuscitation techniques for 10 minutes until the arrival of the specialized help. The case of resuscitation is the same for the five proposed study scenarios, and basic resuscitation norms of the ERC and / or AHA will be followed. The proposed scenarios are: control group, warm environment, cold environment, weight gain and resuscitation with PPE against biological risk. In all simulation scenarios, volunteers must perform the same resuscitation techniques, under the same sequence of events and for 10 minutes. The treatment of all the participating subjects will be similar, except in the intervention (resuscitation environment), performing the same measures and interventions before and after intervention.

What are the possible benefits and risks of participating?
The benefits for the participants lie in the fact of collaborating in the study for scientific purposes. During the realization of resuscitation in hostile environments participants (even if they are exceptional) can have some adverse effect, among which are: dizziness or faintness, loss of consciousness, hypotension / hypertension, tachycardia, anxiety crisis, hypoglycemia , alterations of thermoregulation, injuries in the putting and removal of the suit, injuries during the realization of resuscitation, pain in the puncture site, in exceptional cases inflammation and local infection, skin rash can be provoked. The team of researchers is prepared to solve the complications and adverse effects that may arise, stopping the study before the slightest doubt. In any scenario, a complete team of advanced life support will be prepared with material for handling the airway, oxygen and aspiration; venous via material, including drugs commonly used in emergencies; and manual defibrillator monitor.

Where is the study run from?
The study will be developed in the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Valladolid and in the Faculty of Nursing of the University of Castilla la Mancha (Spain).

When is the study starting and how long is it expected to run for?
The study is scheduled to begin in March 2019 and end in December 2019

Who is funding the study?
The study is funded by the research team. There are no external subsidies.

Who is the main contact?
Francisco Martín-Rodríguez, PhD
fmartin@saludcastillayleon.es

Contact information

Dr Francisco Martín-Rodríguez
Scientific

Avda. Ramón y Cajal, 7
Valladolid
47005
Spain

ORCID ID	0000-0002-1773-2860

Study information

Eligibility

Locations

Countries of recruitment

• Spain

Study participating centres

Sponsor information

Funders

Funder type

Other

Results and Publications

Study outputs

Editorial Notes

13/02/2024: Publication references added.
17/03/2022: The following changes have been made:
1. Publication reference added.
2. The final enrolment number has been added from the reference.
29/04/2019: The following updates were made to the trial record:
1. The ethics approval was added.
2. Trial's existence confirmed by the Ethical Research Committee of the Integrated Health Area of ​​Talavera de la Reina.