Fig. 3. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) causes neurologic, hepatic, and renal damage. ( A ) Plasma alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and ( B ) plasma creatinine concentrations of CPR mice increase compared with pre-CPR values until 48 h after return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC), whereas sham mice displayed no increase. Seventy-two hours after CPR, the values of renal and hepatic damage returned toward baseline. ( C ) Neurologic performance was analyzed by having the mice balance on bars of decreasing width. Shown are the data for a 1-cm rectangular stick, thickness 1 cm. All sham animals ( rectangles ) passed the test, whereas only 28% of the CPR mice passed the test after 24 h, and 24% passed after 48 h. Three days after surgery, neurologic function started to recover in CPR animals ( circles ). * P < 0.05 vs. sham; n > 5 for each point.