Resuscitation drug adrenaline in cardiac arrest study

Ethical approval has been given for a study where some cardiac arrest patients will be given a dummy pill, rather than adrenaline to kick-start their heart.  There are concerns the resuscitation drug, used for more than 50 years, can do more harm than good.  But the study will mean some patients across England and Wales being given a placebo without their consent.Experts say the research throws up a number of ethical challenges.  More than 50,000 people suffer cardiac arrests outside of hospitals each year in the UK.  During arrests their hearts stop beating completely and most people do not survive. Currently only 8% leave hospital alive. Paramedics follow a protocol for anyone found without a heartbeat – this involves chest compressions, shocking the heart with a defibrillator and giving a shot of adrenaline if shocks don