Groningen University. Netherlands: In medical terms, resuscitation
for more than 30 minutes in children after drownings is futile if they
have suffered cardiac arrest in combination with hypothermia. This is
the conclusion of an in-depth study headed by paediatric intensivist
Joke Kieboom from the University Medical Center Groningen. Although
lengthy resuscitation did restore cardiac function, 90% of the children
died, most of them within a few days. The remaining children survived in
a vegetative state or suffered serious brain damage. Kieboom would like
to see changes to the medical guidelines in this area. Her research is
published in today’s edition of the British Medical Journal.