CardioPulmonary Resuscitation With Argon (CPAr) Trial

Preclinical studies suggest that argon (Ar) might diminish the neurological and myocardial damage after any hypoxic-ischemic insult. Indeed, Ar has been tested in different models of ischemic insult, at concentrations ranging from 20% up to 80%. Overall, Ar emerged as a protective agent on cells, tissues and organs, showing less cell death, reduced infarct size and faster functional recovery. More specifically, encouraging data has been reported in animal studies on cardiac arrest (CA) in which a better and faster neurological recovery was achieved when Ar was used in the post-resuscitation ventilation. More importantly, these benefits have been replicated in different studies, enrolling both small and large animals. Finally, ventilation with Ar in O2 has been demonstrated to be safe both in animals and humans. Based on this evidence, a clinical translation is advocated. Thus, the Cardio