UMEM Educational Pearls

Title: Single Dose Epinephrine for Older Patients in Cardiac Arrest

Category: Geriatrics

Keywords: cardiac arrest, older, epinephrine (PubMed Search)

Posted: 10/25/2025 by Robert Flint, MD (Updated: 10/29/2025)
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These authors looked at survival to discharge pre and post-implementation of a single dose epinephrine protocol for out of hospital cardiac arrest as it relates to age ranges. They found that older patients had a survival rate of 12% in the single dose protocol compared to 6% in the multidose protocol.  Younger and middle aged patients had no difference in survival pre and post-implementation.  At least in older adults, epinephrine does not seem to offer much benefit when given more than one time during cardiac arrest.

References

Single Dose Epinephrine Protocol Is Associated With Improved Survival of Older Adults With Out-Of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest

Ethan J. LilienNicklaus P. AshburnTyler S. GeorgeAnna C. SnavelyBryan P. BeaverCasey G. CostaMichael A. ChadoHarris A. CannonJames E. WinslowR. Darrell Nelson … See all authors

First published: 25 September 2025 Academic Emergency Medicine

https://doi.org/10.1111/acem.70154