Goal-Directed CPR in Cardiac Arrest | NYU Langone Health

Novel Methods to Augment the Delivery of Oxygen to the Brain Goal-Directed CPR in Cardiac Arrest

Goal-Directed CPR in Cardiac Arrest

As current resuscitation methods only provide 25 to 30 percent of cardiac output and are limited by the inability of clinicians to deliver CPR effectively up to 50 percent of the time, developing methods to improve CPR is essential to enhance patient survival and reduce brain injuries after cardiac arrest.

While cardiac arrest survival rates are already low, those who do survive often sustain brain injuries that limit their functional abilities due to the reduced levels of oxygen being delivered to vital organs during CPR. Due to the prolonged shortage of oxygen available to the brain during cardiac arrest, survivors may suffer irreparable damage, with some brain injuries progressing after the initial arrest resulting in a complete loss of disability or even a comatose state.

Research conducted by our team has led us to a promising method to enhance CPR which involves a physiological feedback system that incorporates measures related to brain oxygen delivery and circulation quality. These CPR feedback systems will guide clinicians to administer compressions during CPR within a target depth and rate recommended by the American Heart Association and other agencies. Through this study, we aim to compare the efficiency of administering physiological feedback CPR versus non-physiological feedback CPR to restart the heart and achieve improved survival and neurological outcomes in patients undergoing cardiac arrest.