Acute and semiacute management of cardiac arrest.

Successful management of the survivor of sudden cardiac arrest includes proper performance of cardiopulmonary resuscitation and appropriate evaluation thereafter. If the event was not associated with acute myocardial infarction, there is a high probability of recurrence. Evaluation consists of cardiac catheterization and electrophysiologic testing, along with ambulatory electrocardiographic recording and exercise testing. Therapeutic options include pharmacologic intervention, surgery, and electronic devices such as the automatic internal cardioverter defibrillator, depending on the result of invasive and noninvasive studies.