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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

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 , 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.

“We are looking to see if naloxone is helpful in cardiac arrest in general, not just specifically in those we suspect as opioid-induced toxicity.”

Wampler and his research colleagues in Emergency Health Sciences are writing a protocol for a randomized control trial for patients who are in cardiac arrest. The patients would be divided into three groups: one for those suspected of opioid overdose, who would be given naloxone, and two groups with patients for whom opioid overdose status is not known. One of those groups would receive naloxone and the other would not.

“This is still in the idea phase, and we are moving forward with it,” Wampler said, adding that he is seeking approval from the Office of the Institutional Review Board for the clinical trial. If approval is granted, Wampler said he would aim to begin the trial in early 2025.

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