The Resuscitation Council (UK) is keen to promote research into all aspects of the science, practice and teaching of resuscitation techniques. The Council can provide financial support for research projects and also has many members with considerable experience in the field of biomedical research who are able to advise on the planning and conduct of research projects.

In recent years the Council has supported several major projects including the largest survey of resuscitation outcomes in hospital ever undertaken, and an international study of the use of drugs for patients in refractory ventricular fibrillation. We support the only university department of resuscitation medicine in the United Kingdom who are carying out innovative work into the teaching of basic life support skills to the general public.

Research funds are currently available for both
        research grants   and  
        research fellowships. 

In an earlier year the Council, in conjunction with ICNARC, began development of a nationwide In-hospital cardiac arrest database (see NCAA).

In the 2006/07 financial year the research subcommittee considered ten applications and made six awards totalling £140,000. The successful applications covered a wide range of resuscitation topics and included:

• Temperature preservation during stabilisation after birth for premature babies
  

• Ambient oxygen concentration resulting from use of a LUCAS device during simulated cardiopulmonary resuscitation

• Strategies for improving CPR performance

• Diastolic ventricular interaction during CPR – transoesophageal echocardiography study

• A comparison of the efficiency of biphasic truncated exponential and rectilinear biphasic waveforms in cardioversion of atrial fibrillation

• Does an advanced life support (ALS) course give adequate skills to manage a patient’s airway?

In earlier years the Council has supported many small projects investigating diverse subjects within the field of resuscitation medicine. These include:

• A survey of the ability of general practitioners to perform basic life support

• The development of a novel device to enable internal cardiac massage to be performed with minimally invasive techniques

• A study of the ability of health care workers to perform the pulse check when assessing a collapsed patient

• The use of novel techniques to investigate the characteristics of the ventricular fibrillation waveform

• A study into the teaching of ALS techniques on modular courses

• A study into defibrillation by nurses using automated defibrillators.

• An investigation into the apparent explosions that occur when defibrillation is performed in patients wearing GTN patches

• A survey of defibrillation pads to investigate their ability to store electrical charge and thereby inhibit monitoring if the ECG after defibrillation has been performed

• The use made of resuscitation skills learnt by nurses who have attended an ALS course.

Inquiries should be directed to the Chairman of the Research Subcommittee of the Resuscitation Council (UK), at our head office. We particularly welcome informal preliminary inquiries in the first instance to define the way the Council might help and to discuss the extent of financial support that might be provided.

	© Resuscitation Council (UK)  2011   This page last updated: 5 September 2011