LHP E79 - Head Up CPR – Not So FAST

EMS History is full of interventions we've rapidly adopted, often at great expense and with disruption of existing processes, that later turned out to, how should I say this..... not work. Want examples? MAST and high-volume crystalloids in trauma. Mechanical compression devices, high-dose epinephrine, indiscriminate calcium administration in cardiac arrest. Do I even need to mention backboards? The next bright, shiny thing promising to revolutionize cardiac arrest resuscitation is Head-Up CPR. It's certainly expensive and disruptive, but does it improve outcomes? What is the evidence? Dr. Jarvis has thoughts. He goes deep on this topic, using a recent paper on Head-Up CPR to discuss how he evaluates new interventions for adoption. Oh, and he has thoughts on science in general. Citations: 1. Moore JC, Pepe PE, Scheppke KA, Lick C, Duval S, Holley J, Salverda B, Jacobs M, Nystrom P, Quinn R, et al.: Head and thorax elevation during cardiopulmonary resuscitation using circulatory adjuncts is associated with improved survival. Resuscitation. 2022;October;179:9–17. 2. Swaminathan A: Heads Up! There is No Association with Improved Outcomes for Head Up CPR: Why We Must Read Past the Abst…