The majority of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest patients that respond to automated external defibrillators (AEDs) occur in public places rather than in the home. This may have some bearing on why the use of AEDs in the home setting have not proved beneficial, according to a study in the Jan. 27 issue of New England Journal of Medicine.

Conflicting data regarding the AutoPulse battery-operated mechanical chest compression device could be clarified with the Circulation Improving Resuscitation Care (CIRC) trial, a randomized controlled trial that addresses methodological issues that may have influenced the results of previous studies, according to description of the trial in the March issue of Resuscitation.

Three commercially available automated external defibrillators (AEDs) correctly analyzed heart rhythms in an in-motion helicopter on a manikin and a human volunteer. While researchers call for further studies, they were encouraged by the results, according to a study in published online Jan. 25 in Resuscitation.

Slightly less than half (47 percent) of the people in a public place with access to an automated external defibrillator (AED) would be willing to use it, with slightly more than half (53 percent) unable even to recognize one, according to a study published online Feb. 3 in the Annals of Emergency Medicine.

Active compression-decompression cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), with the help of a suction-cup device, augmented with negative intrathoracic pressure via an impedance device, improves blood flow to the brain and heart following cardiac arrest and should be considered as an alternative to standard CPR to increase long-term survival, according to a study published online Jan. 19 in the Lancet.

In the cardiology realm, the phrase March Madness can signify the run-up to the American College of Cardiology meeting, in addition to the college basketball playoffs.  Similarly, the gulf between sports and cardiology can be maddening close.

When The Tao of Pooh was published in 1982, author Benjamin Hoff likely didnt realize that his westernizing of Taoism would seep into the halls of medicine. But mindfulness is being preached as a way to not only reduce stress on medical practitioners, but also to reduce medical errors.

Treating coronary heart disease (CHD) with aspirin was cheaper and more effective than no treatment in men aged 45 years or older who had more than a 10-year, 10 percent CHD risk, according to a study in the Feb. 14  Archives of Internal Medicine. Adding proton pump inhibitors for men at an increased risk, but not average risk, for GI bleeding is cost effective.