This guideline summarizes evidence-based post-cardiac arrest care following the return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) in adults, incorporating updates from the 2025 Korean Guidelines for Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and contemporary international evidence. Recommendations were informed by recent randomized controlled trials and systematic reviews, with an emphasis on patient-centered outcomes and practical clinical applications. After ROSC, early evaluation should focus on identifying reversible causes. A 12-lead electrocardiogram should be obtained promptly, with echocardiography and whole-body computed tomography performed when clinically indicated to assess cardiac function and detect noncardiac or occult etiologies. Respiratory management aims to minimize secondary brain injury by preventing hypoxemia and hyperoxemia. High inspired oxygen concentrations may be used initially, followed by titration to an appropriate oxygen saturation level once reliable measurements are available, and ventilation should target normocapnia. Hemodynamic management prioritizes adequate organ perfusion and prompt treatment of shock, including active correction of hypotension. Routine immediate coronary angiography is not recommended in patients without ST-segment elevation. However, urgent angiography is indicated in those with ST-segment elevation, cardiogenic shock, or a high likelihood of ongoing myocardial ischemia. In comatose survivors, temperature control is essential. The selected target temperature should be maintained for at least 24 hours, with active fever prevention for 36 to 72 hours. Additional intensive care unit management includes glucose control and seizure monitoring. Routine prophylactic antibiotics or anticonvulsants are not recommended. Neuroprognostication should use a multimodal approach after confounders, such as sedation and temperature management, are addressed, integrating clinical examination, electrophysiology, biomarkers, and neuroimaging to support individualized decision-making.
Pediatric cardiac arrest primarily arises from asphyxia in infants and trauma in older children, contrasting with adult etiologies dominated by cardiac events. This underscores prevention as the cornerstone of pediatric basic life support, through injury mitigation like child restraint systems and water supervision, safe sleep practices including supine positioning on firm surfaces with caregiver smoking cessation to reduce sudden infant death syndrome, plus awareness of child abuse and adolescent suicide prevention. In hospitals, pediatric early warning systems (PEWS) enable early deterioration detection via vital sign scoring for timely intervention. Major updates in the 2025 pediatric basic life support guidelines reflect evidence-driven refinements. First, hospitals should implement PEWS to prompt rapid response teams for at-risk inpatients. Second, all rescuers (lay and healthcare providers) should employ the two-thumb encircling hands technique for infant chest compressions for optimal depth (about 4 cm), rate (100-120/min), and recoil; one-hand heel compression serves as backup if infeasible. Third, lay rescuers may apply automated external defibrillators for nontraumatic out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in children aged 1 year or older, prioritizing prompt attachment after initial cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) cycles to address potential shockable rhythms. Fourth, for infant foreign body airway obstruction, alternate five back blows (over the spine between scapulae) with five chest thrusts (using heel-of-hand on sternum) until cleared or unresponsive, then transition to CPR. These updates aim to enhance bystander intervention, CPR quality, and survival with favorable neurologic outcomes in pediatric cardiac arrest.
The 2025 Korean basic life support guidelines are evidence-based treatment recommendations for basic cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). The 2025 guidelines recommend that after checking the response of a patient suspected of cardiac arrest, call 119 (emergency medical services) immediately and request an automated external defibrillator (AED) before performing procedures to confirm cardiac arrest, such as checking breathing. There is currently insufficient evidence into the clinical effectiveness of dispatcher actively instructing individuals who report an emergency to retrieve and use an AED, but one observational study reported an increase in some survival rates. The guidelines recommend that lay rescuers and emergency medical personnel who have been trained in and are willing to perform artificial ventilation should apply standard CPR including artificial ventilation, and that lay rescuers who are not trained in or do not want to perform artificial ventilation should perform compression-only CPR. The guidelines emphasize high-quality CPR, including effective chest compressions and ventilation. The application of a rapid AED is continuously emphasized, and the anterolateral positioning method is recommended as a priority for ease of application. Healthcare workers are recommended to perform standard CPR with a compression to ventilation ratio of 30:2 for patients suspected of having a high-risk pathogen infection and to wear appropriate personal protective equipment, including a mask or respirator appropriate for the suspected pathogen, gloves, a gown, and eye protection.
The 2025 Korean education and system implementation guidelines were updated using a structured evidence evaluation process and recent systematic reviews. The guidelines present a comprehensive update that aims to bridge the gap between educational theory and clinical performance and emphasize the transition toward high-fidelity, field-based training environments through the implementation of in situ simulation and rapid cycle deliberate practice to foster automaticity in high-quality cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and team coordination. The integration of real-time feedback devices during training and the adoption of structured "hot" and "cold" debriefing to maximize learning outcomes are critical shifts in this update. Furthermore, these guidelines enhance teamwork competency by recommending the integration of a dedicated CPR coach within the hospital code team. Despite acknowledging the potential of digital health, a cautious approach toward gamified and blended learning is maintained. The guidelines prioritize face-to-face instruction to ensure psychomotor proficiency. From a policy perspective, the 2025 update removes the prehospital termination of resuscitation criteria in alignment with domestic legal constraints and social consensus. In addition to context-based training strategies within hospitals, we discussed the mandatory age for CPR training. We also added recommendations to address the "decoupling" between high automated external defibrillator awareness and low bystander utilization rates in the prehospital setting. In conclusion, the 2025 Korean guidelines emphasize repetitive, evidence-based educational methods and systematic policy refinements to enhance resuscitation quality and survival outcomes across clinical and community settings.
The 2025 Korean advanced life support guidelines were updated using a structured evidence evaluation process informed by recent randomized controlled trials and systematic reviews. The guideline development group prioritized patient-important outcomes and assessed the certainty of the evidence to formulate graded recommendations. For drug administration during adult cardiac arrest, intravenous access is the preferred initial route, with intraosseous access recommended when intravenous access cannot be rapidly established. Epinephrine remains the recommended vasopressor. Routine administration of vasopressin, either alone or in combination with corticosteroids, is not recommended for in-hospital or out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. In the absence of specific indications, the routine use of buffering agents and calcium is discouraged owing to insufficient evidence of their benefits and potential harm. Defibrillation recommendations were refined based on emerging evidence. In adults with refractory ventricular fibrillation or pulseless ventricular tachycardia after multiple unsuccessful defibrillation attempts, vector change or double sequential defibrillation may be considered in selected settings when performed by experienced teams with appropriate equipment. Airway management guidelines recommend cricothyroidotomy as a rescue technique when conventional airway management strategies fail. For patients receiving cardiopulmonary resuscitation while on mechanical ventilation, specific ventilator settings during chest compressions are recommended to optimize ventilation and minimize interference with high-quality cardiopulmonary resuscitation. The guidelines also address cardiopulmonary resuscitation-induced consciousness, allowing the cautious use of sedatives and/or analgesic agents when awareness interferes with resuscitation quality or safety. Overall, the guidelines emphasize evidence-based practice and individualized clinical decision-making.
The 2025 update of the Korean guidelines for cardiac arrest under special circumstances incorporates new evidence and expert consensus to clarify when clinicians should modify standard resuscitation algorithms. For cardiac arrest caused by acute hyperkalemia, the guidelines suggest administering intravenous insulin with glucose; however, current evidence remains insufficient to recommend for or against routine use of sodium bicarbonate or calcium. In suspected pulmonary embolism-related cardiac arrest, thrombolytic therapy may be considered. In confirmed cases, thrombolysis, surgical embolectomy, or percutaneous mechanical thrombectomy may be appropriate, despite very low certainty of evidence. For opioid-related cardiac arrest, current evidence does not support the routine administration of naloxone in addition to standard advanced life support; however, naloxone may be administered when it is unclear whether the patient is in true cardiac arrest. The guidelines also emphasize managing cardiac arrest in the prone position. If the patient is intubated and immediate repositioning is unsafe or impractical, prone cardiopulmonary resuscitation and defibrillation may be attempted using invasive arterial pressure or end-tidal carbon dioxide monitoring to guide the timing of repositioning. Immediate supination is strongly recommended for non-intubated patients. Additional updates address drowning, severe hypothermia, pregnancy, anaphylaxis, and cardiac arrest during interventional procedures, underscoring the importance of early correction of reversible causes, appropriate airway strategies, and timely consideration of extracorporeal life support in selected cases. Overall, the 2025 recommendations highlight cautious, etiology-directed interventions and explicitly grade recommendation strength and certainty to support context-sensitive clinical decision-making in high-risk and resource-variable settings.
In Korea, more than 30,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests (OHCAs) occur each year, and the survival rate remains below 10%. Because OHCA is difficult to predict and typically occurs outside medical facilities, effective management requires not only healthcare professionals but also laypersons, including bystanders and first responders. Survival depends on an uninterrupted and efficient sequence of time-critical actions: early recognition of cardiac arrest and activation of emergency services; prompt bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR); use of an automated external defibrillator (AED) for shockable rhythms; on-scene and in-hospital advanced life support with comprehensive post-cardiac arrest care; and systematic assessment of neurologic and functional outcomes followed by rehabilitation and recovery. The chain of survival describes these essential steps required to maximize survival after cardiac arrest and comprises five links: (1) early recognition and call for help; (2) immediate bystander CPR; (3) early defibrillation with an AED; (4) advanced life support and post-cardiac arrest care; and (5) rehabilitation and recovery for survivors. The cardiac arrest survival environment represents a societal infrastructure that sustains and optimizes both medical and nonmedical factors across prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation to reduce mortality. Establishing such an environment requires each community to develop integrated medical systems for prevention, treatment, rehabilitation, and recovery, alongside nonmedical strategies, including public awareness initiatives, widespread CPR education and bystander participation, AED dissemination, and coordinated community responsiveness of the emergency medical system.
The 2025 Korean pediatric advanced life support guideline update introduces clinically important revisions emphasizing airway strategy, physiologic resuscitation targets, post-cardiac arrest hemodynamics, neuroprotection, and extracorporeal support. In out-of-hospital pediatric cardiac arrest, bag-mask ventilation is now suggested over endotracheal intubation or supraglottic airway placement. In in-hospital arrest, evidence is insufficient to favor bag-mask ventilation versus advanced airways; however, endotracheal intubation or supraglottic airway insertion is reasonable when performed with minimal interruption or when bag-mask ventilation is ineffective. For patients with an advanced airway in place, age-adjusted ventilation rates are proposed to avoid hypoventilation and hyperventilation: 30/min (<1 yr), 20-30/min (1-8 yr), and 10-20/min (8-18 yr in healthcare settings). When invasive arterial monitoring is available during in-hospital cardiac arrest, target diastolic blood pressure is ≥25 mmHg in infants and ≥30 mmHg in children ≥1 year. After return of spontaneous circulation, systolic blood pressure during the first 6 hours should be maintained above the age-specific 10th percentile. Neuroprognostication should be multimodal, incorporating serial examinations, electroencephalography (up to 72 hours), early computed tomography (<24 hours), magnetic resonance imaging (72 hours to 2 weeks), lactate trends, and pupillary reflexes. Extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is limited to appropriately resourced hospitals and may be considered for selected in-hospital arrests (e.g., cardiac disease) unresponsive to conventional CPR; evidence remains insufficient for out-of-hospital use. These revisions shift pediatric resuscitation toward physiology-guided, resource-stratified, and neuroprotective care.
The 2025 Korean Guidelines for Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation provide updated, evidence-based recommendations to optimize the transition from intrauterine to extrauterine life. While approximately 85% of term newborns initiate spontaneous breathing independently, timely intervention is critical for those requiring assistance. Key updates in the 2025 guidelines emphasize umbilical cord management, recommending deferred cord clamping for at least 60 seconds in vigorous term and preterm infants (<37 weeks). When deferred cord clamping cannot be performed, intact umbilical cord milking may be reasonable for nonvigorous term and late preterm infants (>= 35 weeks' gestation) and for preterm infants born between 280 & frasl;7 and 366 & frasl;7 weeks' gestation who do not require immediate resuscitation. Respiratory support should be initiated within the "golden minute," starting with 21% oxygen for term and late preterm infants (>= 35 weeks) and >= 30% for those <32 weeks' gestation. The guidelines introduce video laryngoscopy as a preferred tool for less experienced providers and recognize supraglottic airways as a viable alternative to face masks or when intubation fails. For advanced resuscitation, a compression to ventilation ratio of 3:1 is maintained, with intravascular epinephrine (0.01-0.03 mg/kg) as the primary pharmacologic intervention. Notably, the use of sodium bicarbonate is no longer recommended. Discussions regarding the discontinuation of resuscitation are now suggested at approximately 20 minutes after birth if no response is observed. These guidelines aim to standardize clinical practice in Korea to improve neonatal survival and long-term neurodevelopmental outcomes.
The 2025 Korean Guidelines for Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation include a first aid section developed through a systematic review and evidence appraisal. The revision aimed to strengthen prehospital first aid response capacity while reflecting the Korean healthcare system, field feasibility, and relevant legal and institutional contexts. The guidelines provide evidence-based recommendations for seven priority emergencies: adult chest pain suggestive of myocardial infarction, suspected acute ischemic stroke, asthma-related dyspnea, anaphylaxis, seizures, shock, and syncope. Core principles emphasize early recognition, prompt activation of emergency medical services, minimizing delays to definitive care, and safe condition-specific interventions. Key recommendations include assisting with patient-prescribed medications when appropriate (e.g., nitroglycerin, inhaled bronchodilators, and epinephrine autoinjectors), using structured stroke screening tools, preventing aspiration through proper positioning and withholding oral intake in patients at risk of dysphagia, administering oxygen only for hypoxemia, and initiating cardiopulmonary resuscitation in patients who are unconscious and not breathing normally. Seizure management focuses on safety and emergency medical services activation criteria, while care for shock and syncope emphasizes patient positioning and post-event assessment. These recommendations provide practical, evidence-based guidance for improving patient safety and outcomes in prehospital settings.
In response to the expanding body of research on cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and updates from the International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation, the 2020 Korean CPR guidelines have been revised. This article presents the development process and summarizes the major updates in the 2025 Korean CPR guidelines. Seven task forces were established, with members nominated by professional societies involved in CPR. Each task force formulated key clinical questions and conducted systematic evidence reviews using the GRADE (Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation) methodology. The 2025 CPR guidelines were finalized on the basis of the reviewed evidence and consensus discussions. The major updates are as follows: (1) addition of rehabilitation and recovery to the chain of survival; (2) inclusion of guidance for dispatchers on the use of automated external defibrillators; (3) recommendation that trained rescuers provide rescue breaths in cases of drowning-related cardiac arrest; (4) suggestion of double sequential defibrillation or vector-change defibrillation for refractory ventricular fibrillation; (5) revision of the target temperature range for post-resuscitation temperature management from 32-36 to 33-37.5 °C; (6) recommendation of public access defibrillation for children aged ≥1 year; (7) suggestion to use supraglottic airway devices and video laryngoscopy in neonatal resuscitation; (8) recommendation for the use of feedback devices in CPR training; and (9) addition of a first aid section addressing cardiac arrest-related emergencies. These guidelines reflect the most current evidence, and their implementation and dissemination are expected to improve survival after cardiac arrest.
Bentazone is a widely used herbicide considered a moderate hazard. Fatalities associated with its use are rare, with deaths reported only after intake of >= 200 mL. In some studies, bentazone intoxication is accompanied by generalized rigidity. Malignant hyperthermia is a pharmacogenetic disease that presents a hypermetabolic response to anesthetic gases or depolarizing muscle relaxants due to calcium channel dysfunction. The classic symptoms of malignant hyperthermia include hyperthermia and muscle rigidity. We report the case of a 65-year-old man who died 4 hours after presenting to the emergency department after ingesting approximately 75 mL of Basagran M60 (bentazone 33.6%, 25.2 g). This is the smallest dose (364 mg/kg) reported in a fatal case to date. Electrocardiogram changes, including QRS widening and QT prolongation, were present, and hypocalcemia was confirmed. We propose that bentazone intoxication causes patient deterioration by a mechanism similar to that of malignant hyperthermia.
Objective:This study aimed to conduct a scoping review of studies on non-agentic large language models (LLMs), LLM-based agents, and multi-agent systems reported in emergency medicine, and to identify current research trends and major gaps by analyzing their clinical application scope, system structures, evaluation approaches, and input data characteristics. Methods:The Web of Science, Scopus, PubMed, and CINAHL databases were searched for literature published from March 8, 2021, to March 7, 2026. Among English full-text articles, studies addressing the application, evaluation, or benchmarking of non-agentic LLMs, LLM-based agents, or multi-agent systems in emergency medicine or the emergency department (ED) were included. Through reference tracking, 35 studies were analyzed. Results:Of the 35 included studies, 26 were application studies, 6 were framework studies, and 3 were benchmark studies. The studies were concentrated on a limited set of tasks, including triage, diagnostic and treatment decision support, and documentation. In terms of system type, non-agentic LLMs were the most common (n=25), followed by LLM-based agents (n=7) and multi-agent systems (n=3). Inputs were predominantly text-based, and evaluation mainly relied on expert comparison, retrospective record review, vignette-based comparison, and task-specific performance metrics. In contrast, workflow-level, prospective, and safety and trustworthiness-oriented evaluation were limited. Conclusion:LLMs in emergency medicine have shown potential for task-level decision support and documentation. However, current literature remains focused on non-agentic LLM-based task support, while studies reflecting the dynamic workflow of real EDs remain limited. Future research should expand toward workflow-aware design, operational evaluation, multimodal data integration, multi-agent-based role coordination, and safety and trustworthiness validation.
