Dismal recovery rates from CPA followed by CPR are discouraging. There are few clinical studies evaluating CPR method in veterinary medicine. Many practitioners have asked me, “Why bother?” Depending on the situation, I have 3 answers:
- You cannot make it worse by trying.
- Group statistics do not mean anything to the patient that responds.
- How can we get better if we do not work to find solutions?
The authors of this article tried to do just that—look for something that may help predict or affect outcomes in CPR events. What I found interesting was that, in this small prospective observational study, they found that having a board certified emergency and critical care veterinarian involved in CPR efforts did not make a difference in outcome. It is unclear, however, if CPR method was standardized or if all those performing CPR had the same training. Also, the traditional CPR method (ie, establishing an airway, initiating ventilation, starting chest compressions) was used. Since this study was conducted, updated CPR guidelines for dogs and cats published by RECOVER1 recommended that if there is no airway obstruction, chest compressions should be immediately initiated before establishing an airway for assisted ventilation. The RECOVER method may bring about more successful outcomes. For those interested in learning more about basic life support in cats and dogs, taking the VERITAS course or CPR dry labs or attending other CE symposia taught by a veterinary BLS-certified instructor, is encouraged.—Elke Rudloff, DVM, DACVECC