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Page: << Prev | 1 | 2 Only 69 of those pre-MIRC patients survived, the researchers noted. In contrast, 60 of the 661 people given MIRC for cardiac arrest survived.
"One of the really novel things was that this didn't cost anything," Bobrow said. "Usually with a new treatment, cost is an issue. Here, we were really prioritizing how emergency medicine people push on the chest. There is very little cost outside of training."
But the effort needed to train people in the new technique should not be underestimated, said Dr. Mary Ann Peberdy, an associate professor of internal medicine and emergency medicine at Virginia Commonwealth University, in Richmond.
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"What the group in Arizona was able to do in orchestrating these complex changes, which are significantly different from the rules drilled into people, was impressive," said Peberdy, who co-authored a related editorial in the journal.
The new study is only the second large trial of MIRC to be reported in the medical literature, she said. Another trial, also conducted in Arizona, found similar results two years ago, Peberdy said.
This latest study "is just a first step," Bobrow stressed. "We are constantly reassessing how we are doing with this protocol. We have to keep on modifying our techniques."
The study shows that "changes in the complicated EMS system are possible," Peberdy added. "People are going to have to look at the science themselves, and decide whether to change the protocol for patients who suffer cardiac arrest inside the hospital as well as outside the hospital."
Virginia Commonwealth has been using a version of MIRC for several years, she said, emphasizing "less interruptions of chest compression and better chest compression. It has improved our neurologically sound clinical survival," meaning that more people live with less brain damage.
More information
There's more on cardiac arrest and its warning signs at the American Heart Association.
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