Lignocaine vs Amiodarone for In-Hospital Cardiac Arrests
Dec 16, 2024
Amiodarone has been the first line therapy for VT/VF since 2000. At that time it replaced Lidocaine as the drug of choice, in the resuscitation guidelines. Lidocaine however made a comeback in 2018 and now either is recommended for use. Is one better than the other? Most studies have found that there is no real difference between the two. However most of the studies are for out-of hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). There is much less in the literature relating to in-hospital cardiac arrest (IHCA).
Should we treat the in-hospital patient differently when they arrest to those who arrest out of hospital? Should the patient who arrests in the resuscitation bay be treated differently to that patient who arrests at home? We don’t really know the answer. This is why looking at this new study (1), is important.
Bottom Line
What they found was that adult patients with IHCA secondary to VT/VF who receive defibrillation and are treated with Lidocaine, have a statistically significant benefit in terms of 24 hour survival and discharge with a favourable neurological outcome.
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