Quiz Question 2

Procedure B

  • About The Procedure:
    • It generally takes 30-60 minutes to do.
    • It requires at least one doctor and one nurse to perform for the entirety of the procedure.
    • It costs $2000 per patient.
  • The Numbers:
    • 2 trials have been done on this procedure, totaling 4000 patients.
    • No trials showed a benefit.
    • There are no known medical harms to the procedure.

Which rating would you assign?




We Chose: Red. Here’s why:

Procedure B is Actually: ACLS Medications for Cardiac Arrest.

According to our review, in the few studies that have looked at giving IV medicines for cardiac arrest (as opposed to just doing chest compressions), patients are more likely to regain a heart rhythm, but no more likely to actually walk out of the hospital alive. These patients will frequently “live” on a ventilator, but unfortunately often never wake up or regain any reasonable quality of life.