NEW! The AHA has issued interim guidance for EMS management of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest during COVID-19. The new paper also has insights about the public response of adult and pediatric patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.
Some key points include:
COVID-19 transmission risk appears to be low with Hands-Only CPR or public access defibrillation. Telecommunicators and lay rescuers should prioritize chest compressions and defibrillation even when facemasks are not immediately available.
For professional rescuers, transmission risk for aerosol-generating procedures can be mitigated using PPE. We recommend use of high-efficiency particulate absorbing filters to reduce aerosolization in combination with a bag-valve mask with a tight mask-face seal, a supraglottic airway, or an endotracheal tube with an inflated cuff. Read the paper in the AHA journal, Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes: http://spr.ly/6186yrvD6.