“The world stands at the verge of new therapies and technologies that could save thousands of lives that are currently lost...” PULSE

Survival from out-of-hospital cardiac arrest remains unacceptably low worldwide, and it is the leading cause of death in developed countries. Sudden cardiac arrest takes more lives than HIV and lung and breast cancer combined in the U.S., where survival from cardiac arrest averages about 6% overall, taking the lives of nearly 350,000 annually. To put it in perspective, that is equivalent to three jumbo jet crashes every single day of the year.

Yet survival rates can exceed 50% for victims when immediate and effective cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is combined with prompt use of a defibrillator. The difference between the current survival rates and what is possible has given rise to the need for this site, Resuscitation Central. Serving as an educational and informative warehouse for all things resuscitation, this site aims to provide doctors, nurses, and emergency personnel alike with valuable clinical information, expert resources, and a fresh look at all facets of resuscitation today—from CPR and circulation to new trends in post-resuscitation care including hypothermia.