Is epinephrine a safe and effective treatment for cardiac arrest?
BEEM Bottom Line
Why is this study important?
In 2015, the International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation (ILCOR) treatment recommendation suggested standard dose epinephrine (1.0 mg) be administered to adult patients in cardiac arrest (weak recommendation, very low quality evidence).[1] Subsequently, the absence of an adequately powered high-quality placebo controlled prospective trial to assess the effect of epinephrine (as well as dosing and timing) on long-term outcome after cardiac arrest was identified by ILCOR as a significant knowledge gap. This study is the first placebo-controlled trial to detect a long-term survival benefit during cardiac arrest, so it is an important contribution to the field.
Which, if any, threats to validity are most likely to have an impact on the results and how?
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