Percutaneous noncoronary interventions during continuous mechanical chest compression with the LUCAS-2 device.

Cardiac arrest in the catheterization laboratory during percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI) is associated with high mortality, among other things because it may be difficult to perform efficacious cardiopulmonary resuscitation while continuing the coronary intervention. We report on 2 patients who have benefit from ongoing external mechanical chest compression with LUCAS-2 device because of cardiac arrest occurred during non-coronary interventions. Added to the existing data on PCIs performed during cardiac arrest, these first reported cases suggest that the application of the LUCAS-2 device in the cardiac catheterization laboratory may be also expanded to patients undergoing noncoronary interventions.