Complete Neurological Recovery after Prolonged Resuscitation in a Young Patient with Non-Shockable Rhythm

Background: Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) with ongoing CPR on arrival to emergency department still a challenge to decide how long the resuscitation should continue or when to terminate it. Case Summary: A patient with a 1-week history of difficulty in breathing suffered from an OHCA. The electrocardiogram upon arrival to the hospital showed pulseless electrical activity. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation was initiated and continued for a total of 90 minutes without any interruption until return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) was achieved. Post-cardiac care was offered, and the patient was discharged with complete neurological recovery. Discussion: In non-shockable rhythms, the powerful defibrillator machine is not used during resuscitation. In such cases, identifying the offending cause, performing high quality CPR and administering epinephrine are the only effective tools in resuscitating a patient.