Adrenaline Delivery through Ventilation of Aerosolised Nanoparticles in Cardiac arrEst (ADVANCE Study)

Every second counts when a patient’s heart stops and critical to this is restarting the heart and maximising blood flow to the brain. Without adequate blood flow to the brain, eventual survivors can be left with a devastating brain injury and be forced to live for their remaining years with severely reduced quality of life. The rapid delivery of adrenaline to restore cardiac function and deliver blood to the brain is critical to improving survival. Current techniques for delivering adrenaline focus on cannulating a vein. This can take many of those crucial seconds and more frequently several minutes, as the collapsed veins post cardiac arrest are extremely difficult to find and access. If the cannula is successfully inserted, the lack of blood flow within them prevents rapid delivery of adrenaline back to the heart.

This research team is developing a device with the potential for safe, rapid adrenaline delivery directly to the lungs with each breath without the need for venous cannulation. This rapid delivery of adrenaline to the lungs, and subsequent absorption to the blood and then the heart, may change the outcome from a brain injury rendering a previously fit person unable to walk, to 100% recovery.