Two Rules for Stopping Resuscitation in the Field

Use of either rule would reduce unnecessary transport and resuscitation efforts in the ED and rarely would misclassify patients who would survive.

In a retrospective study, researchers validated two rules for terminating resuscitation in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest using prospectively collected data for 5505 cases in eight U.S. cities from 2005 to 2008. One rule is for use by responders who provide basic life support (BLS) with automated external defibrillators (AEDs), and the other rule is for responders who provide advanced life support (ALS). All the criteria of each rule must be met to cease resuscitation efforts.

Criteria for Termination of Resuscitation by BLS Providers:

Event not witnessed by emergency medical services personnel
No AED used; and no manual shock applied
No return of spontaneous circulation

Criteria for Termination of Resuscitation by ALS Providers:

All of the a…

Reviewing Author

John A. Marx, MD, FAAEM, FACEP