Amiodarone or lidocaine for cardiac arrest: A systematic review and meta-analysis

• F. Sanfilippo^a, , , , 
• C. Corredor^b, , 
• C. Santonocito^a, , 
• G. Panarello^a, , 
• A. Arcadipane^a, , 
• G. Ristagno^c, d, , 
• T. Pellis^d, e, 

Background

Guidelines for treatment of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OOH-CA) with shockable rhythm recommend amiodarone, while lidocaine may be used if amiodarone is not available. Recent underpowered evidence suggests that amiodarone, lidocaine or placebo are equivalent with respect to survival at hospital discharge, but amiodarone and lidocaine showed higher hospital admission rates. We undertook a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess efficacy of amiodarone vs lidocaine vs placebo.