Objectives for the project

During a cardiac arrest, the blood circulation is insufficient. The primary goal of treatment during cardiac arrest is therefore to restore adequate blood circulation. Standard treatment includes, among other things, chest compressions and, if possible, electrical shocks. The electrical shock is delivered by a defibrillator. The purpose of this project is to determine whether there is a difference in survival at 30 days depending on the type of defibrillation strategy used during the cardiac arrest. Additionally, the study will examine whether there is an impact on the proportion of patients who regain adequate blood circulation and survive with good physical and mental quality of life.

​Plan for the research project

As part of standard treatment, it may be necessary to use a defibrillator during cardiac arrest to deliver a shock to the heart. This is done to stop any dangerous heart rhythm that prevents the heart from pumping properly. If such a rhythm is present, a shock is delivered with a defibrillator to help the heart return to a normal rhythm. For decades, the same strategy has been used to deliver the shock, but electrode placement and the number of shocks may influence the effectiveness of the shock against dangerous heart rhythms.

      In this research project, the included patients will receive shocks in one of the following three ways: Standard shocks where the electrodes are kept in the initial positions on the right chest and left flank. Another third will receive shocks with new electrodes placed on the left chest and on the left side of the back. The last third will receive two shocks delivered rapidly in succession with a total of four electrodes placed as in the two previous groups.

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      Participation in the research project does not include any additional medical or surgical procedures. Continued participation as a subject means that we will collect information about you during this hospitalization. This will in no way affect your further treatment, and all information will be collected from your medical records without any additional testing. After discharge from the hospital, we will contact you or one of your relatives by phone to ask a series of short questions about your physical and mental well-being. We will do this four times: at 30 days, 90 days, 180 days, and 1 year after the cardiac arrest. Only when the research project is finished for all participants can we inform you which method patients were assigned during the cardiac arrest.

      A total of 909 patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest will be included in the research project. The research project started in 2025 and is expected to run for approximately 3 years.

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Purpose, significance and scope of the project

The research project will contribute to increased knowledge about the optimal treatment during cardiac arrest and test whether there is a difference in the proportion of patients who are alive after 30 days. We cannot guarantee a beneficial effect of either method, but increased knowledge about the optimal treatment will benefit future patients.

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Side effects, risk, complications and disadvantages

The use of defibrillators is also employed in the treatment of common atrial fibrillation. It is generally a safe treatment method with no risk of permanent damage. Serious side effects have not been reported. In rare cases, local side effects such as skin burns may occur.