External noninvasive cardiac pacing in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.

External noninvasive cardiac pacing was applied outside the hospital to 19 patients who had experienced cardiopulmonary arrest and 1 patient with life-threatening bradycardia. Seven patients developed electrocardiographic evidence of pacemaker capture, although only 2 had palpable pulses. The patient with bradycardia was successfully paced. This study demonstrates the feasibility of cardiac pacing in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest but confirms the poor prognosis of asystolic cardiac arrest even with the application of pacing.