After successful resuscitation, unconscious patients who survive a cardiac arrest often remain severely ill and require urgent care to maintain heart and brain function. The STEPCARE trial, part of a major international research project, supported in Luxembourg by the Fondation Cœur - Daniel Wagner, compares how some commonly used treatments may be applied to give cardiac arrest patients a better chance of a good recovery.

Namely, the comparison study will consider commonly used strategies for controlling (1) depth of sedation, (2) body temperature and (3) mean arterial pressure. The most favorable way to apply these interventions has yet to be discovered. This study, led by the Region Skäne, Helsingborg Hospital (Lund, Sweden) will entail the largest randomized control trial on the management of cardiac arrest in intensive care ever carried out.