Center for Resuscitation science, Karolinska Institutet Department of Medicine, Solna and Södersjukhuset Stockholm

Out of hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) affects some 1000 individuals within the Stockholm county region and approximately 5000 on a national level annually in Sweden, only 11% survive.

Novel methods and intense research efforts from the research group at Center for Resuscitation science, Karolinska Institutet (KI), have in a series of studies shown that many more lives may be saved. The research board at KI instituted a unique research center focusing on resuscitation science in 2015. The center has initiated a significant network of collaborating research parties in Europe and aims at increasing 30-day survival from OHCA.

This will be achieved through increased collaboration internationally and through local networks between different parties like:  Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm County Council, the Royal Institute of Technology (KTH) and with the commercial industry. The Center has well recognized collaboration with universities in Lund, Uppsala, Borås and with the Sahlgrenska Academy in Göteborg. Internationally, centers in the Netherlands, Denmark, Norway, US and Belgium are involved in project management and joint publication of scientific reports.

The Center for Resuscitation Science focuses mainly on clinical methods applied in the prehospital setting by first responders (i.e. fire-fighters and police officers), bystanders and the Emergency Medical Communication Center (EMCC). Basic and specific interventions are designed for laypeople and professionals to support early cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) in residential areas, workplaces, and within the emergency medical services (EMS) or in-hospital. Other research areas are in-hospital-cardiac arrest (IHCA), early coronary angiography after return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC), prehospital temperature management, drugs in advanced life support treatment, and extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation (E-CPR).

The research group consists of an inter-professional team of medical doctors, registered nurses, paramedics, statisticians and others with a consistent focus on gender and growth of the individuals. We aim at creating and developing eight research focus areas with tutors consisting of senior post-doc researchers.

The Center for Resuscitation science is lead by assistant professor Jacob Hollenberg, Professor Mårten Rosenqvist and Professor Leif Svensson with assistant professor Hollenberg as the formal leader since January 1st 2015.

Board

Jacob Hollenberg
Assistant professor, medical doctor with specialty degree in cardiology at Södersjukhuset Stockholm. Chair of the working group ”Early defibrillation out of hospital” within the Swedish Resuscitation council. Principal investigator of the Scandinavian AED and mobile bystander activation trial (SAMBA), a randomized trial recruiting volunteers for bringing AED to the site of OHCA. Principal investigator of the randomized TANGO2 – trial, describing effects of chest compression only vs. standard CPR as instructed from dispatchers at the EMCC.

Contact: jacob.hollenberg@ki.se

Leif Svensson
Senior medical doctor, professor in cardiology. Founder of the Resuscitation center. Principal investigator in a series of randomized trials, currently active in studies of prehospitally induced hypothermia, oxygen administration in acute myocardial infarction, the DetO2x- study. Former chair of the Swedish Resuscitation council.

Contact: leif.svensson@ki.se

Mårten Rosenqvist
Senior medical doctor and professor in cardiology. Founder of the Resuscitation center. Extensive experience of conducting clinical studies, special interest in arrhythmias, head of research at Danderyds hospital Stockholm.

Kristina Broliden
Senior medical doctor and professor. Head of the Department of Medicine Solna, Karolinska Institutet.

Per Tornvall
Senior medical doctor and professor. Head of the Department of Clinical Science and Education, Karolinska Institutet, Södersjukhuset.

Yifang Ban
Professor. Division of Geodesy and Geoinformatics, Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm.

Research group

Ellinor Berglund
RN with focus on emergency department (ED), PhD student within the SAMBA project.

Anders Bäckman
RN and senior paramedic, project leader and link between the EMS and the research group.

Andreas Claesson
RN and senior paramedic, post doc. Extensive experience of developing educational materials in CPR on a national level in the Swedish Resuscitation council, Thesis: Lifesaving after OHCA due to drowning. Current chair of the Swedish Resuscitation Coucil.

Emelie Dillenbeck
Medical doctor, specialist in intensive care and anesthesiology, Södersjukhuset.

Therese Djärv
Medical doctor, specialist in internal medicine. Assistant professor, senior consultant at the Karolinska university hospital. Research area: Epidemiology, end of life decisions in-hospital and drug administration intra-arrest.

Ludvig Elfwén
Medical doctor, specialist in cardiology and internal medicine, Södersjukhuset. PhD-student within the  DISCO trial.

Sune Forsberg
Senior medical doctor, PhD, Head of department, Norrtälje hospital.

David Fredman
RN, PhD student with focus on Geographical information systems (GIS) and their use in describing relation between OHCA and AED:s out of hospital.

Ingela Hasselqvist-Ax
RN, specialist in anesthesiology, masters degree in pedagogics. PhD student within the SAMS-project (Saving more lives in Sweden) with focus on dispatching first responders in OHCA. Board member of the Swedish Resuscitation Council.

Johan Herlitz
Senior medical doctor, professor in prehospital emergency care at University of Borås.. Published an impressing amount of research papers, honorary member of the ERC supervisor for 35+ PhD students, former chair of the Swedish Resuscitation council. Holder of the Swedish register for cardio-pulmonary resuscitation.

Thomas Hermansson
RN, paramedic, senior project leader, link between the EMS and the Resuscitation center.

Martin Jonsson
Masters degree in public health, statistician. PhD student with focus on socio-economics

Per Nordberg
Senior medical doctor in internal medicine and cardiology at Södersjukhuset. Post doc with focus on prehospital intra-arrest induced hypothermia. Principal investigator for the PRINCESS-study.

Eva Piscator
Senior medical doctor in emergency care, Karolinska University hospital Solna. PhD student with focus on in-hospital OHCA.

Mattias Ringh
Senior medical doctor in internal medicine and cardiology at Södersjukhuset. Post doc, principal investigator for the SAMBA study. Member of the Swedish Resuscitation council.

Gabriel Riva
Kardiolog, biträdande överläkare Capio S:t Görans sjukhus. Post-Doc Centrum för hjärtstoppsforskning, Karolinska Institutet. Huvudprövare DoubleD-Trial (studie som jämför tidig dubbeldefibrillering mot standarddefibrillering vid hjärtstopp utanför sjukhus)

Sten Rubertsson
Senior medical doctor in anesthesiology and intensive care. Professor at Uppsala university.

Susanne Rysz
Senior medical doctor in anesthesiology at Karolinska University hospital Solna. PhD student with focus on drug administration in cardiac arrest.