Abstract
Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) provides continuous real-time measurement of regional cerebral oxygen saturation (rSO(2)) during resuscitation. We aimed to evaluate the feasibility of paramedics using NIRS during out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) resuscitation. Paramedics were trained to record rSO(2) and mark events during resuscitation. Feasibility was defined as > 70% of cases with rSO(2) data and event markers. The monitor was applied on 23 patients with OHCA. Of these, 19 (83%) had rSO(2) data (median duration of 17.9 minutes; interquartile range, 9.7-28) and 17 (74%) had event markers (median 3 events per case; interquartile range, 1-4). It is feasible for paramedics to apply NIRS during OHCA resuscitation.