Chapter 21 - Resuscitation

Cardiac Arrest

State in which the heart is no longer pumping blood

Chain of Survival

Metaphor that describes the key elements of cardiac arrest management

Defibrillation

Delivery of an electrical shock to stop the fibrillation of heart muscles and restore a normal heart rythem

Pulseless Electrical Activity (PEA)

Condition in which the hearts electrical rhythm remains relatively normal, yet the mechanical pumping activity fails to follow the electrical activity

Asystole

Condition in which the heart has ceased generating electrical impulses

Dysrhythmia

Disturbance in heart rate and Rythm

Ventricular Tachycardia (V-Tach)

Condition in which the heartbeat is rapid, and ventricles will not fill with enough blood between beats to produce blood flow sufficient to meet body’s needs

Ventricular Fibrillation (V-Fib)

Condition in which the heart’s electrical impulses are disorganized, preventing the heart muscle form contracting normally

Sudden Cardiac Arrest

Cardiac arrest occurring due to the abrupt onset of a dysrhythmias

Commotio Cordis

Cardiac arrest caused by acute blunt force trauma to anterior chest

Asphyxial Cardiac Arrest

Cardiac arrest caused by systemic hypoxia, typically due to respiratory disorder or shock

Agonal breathing

irregular, gasping breaths that precede apnea and death

Apnea

absence of breathing

Key features of cardiac arrest patients

Unresponsiveness, Apnea, Absence of pulse

Chain of survival link

Early recognition and activation of emergency response system > Immediate high-quality CPR > Rapid Defib > BLS and ALS > ALS and post arrest care

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation

Actions taken to revive a person by keeping the person’s heart and lungs working

Compression depth in pediatric CPR

1.5 inches or 1/3 depth of the chest

Compression depth in adult CPR

2 inches

CPR compression rate

100-120 compressions per minute

Ventilation-Compression rate for adults

2:30

Ventilation-Compression rate for pediatric patients

2:15

Monophasic defibrillator

Sends a single shock from the negative pad to the positive pad

Biphasic defibrillator

Sends the shock first in one direction then the other

Return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC)

The heart beating again after successful resuscitation