Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) has been the standard of care for patients experiencing cardiac arrest for more than 60 years. Although CPR has been a major breakthrough, its relative effectiveness in restarting the heart and preventing immediate death, and more importantly helping people achieve long-term survival without suffering severe brain damage, has been poor. Typically, only 5 to 9 percent of people who experience cardiac arrest outside of hospitals survive, while only 20 percent of those who experience cardiac arrest in hospitals survive.

At the Parnia Lab at NYU Langone, investigators lead pioneering studies to identify ways to improve the effectiveness and quality of CPR. We also seek novel ways to augment and improve resuscitation beyond CPR and identify effective methods to prevent brain damage. Our goal is to improve survival and reduce the risk of brain damage by striving to “save lives and brains.”

Our research teams are among the first to use real-time monitoring systems that provide physicians with integral data regarding brain oxygen levels, brain activity, and other metrics in real-time during the administration of CPR. This enables physicians to make informed decisions that could have significant impact.