I'm reading Erasing Death, a book about resuscitation by Sam Parnia, a doctor who specializes in it. He laments the poor state of resuscitation practice. Different hospitals have widely varying success rates, as do different doctors within the hospital. There's quite a bit of science on how to do it well, but very little standardized practice. It all comes down to what the doctor on call feels like doing.
The doctor's not necessarily up on current research, because resuscitation isn't any kind of medical specialty and there are no education requirements.
Every hospital I have worked at has a crash team. It is comprised of several people with various skills, all trained to a high level. They most definitely specialise in resuscitation. However they are not always called, aren't always fast enough, and can't be everywhere.
