Professor's commentary on naloxone and out-of-hospital cardiac arrest published in JAMA Network Open

Naloxone, a medicine used to reverse opioid overdose, may be a beneficial prehospital treatment for the general population of patients experiencing cardiac arrest, according to a recent invited commentary published in JAMA Network Open by Department of Emergency Health Sciences Professor David Wampler, PhD, LP, FAEMS.

Wampler believes that naloxone, often referred to as Narcan, could help improve outcomes for prehospital cardiac arrest patients who are not experiencing opioid toxicity. In his commentary, Wampler referenced previous analysis on the use of naloxone in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest cases that he said raises important questions. 

“The primary use for Narcan is opioid reversal,” Wampler said. “It does that exquisitely. However, not only does it reverse opioids, it also does several other things. It impacts blood pressure and heart rate and potentially some other factors that are involved.

To read Wampler’s commentary, ”Naloxone in Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest — More Than Just Opioid Reversal,” click here.