2.1 Cardiac Arrest Approach

What patient presentation is assumed in this cardiac arrest approach?

Unresponsive, not breathing, no pulse.

What is the goal for patient positioning in cardiac arrest?

Achieve 360° access to the patient.

Where should airway and oxygen equipment be placed?

On the patient’s right side (right of the airway paramedic).

Where should the defibrillator be positioned?

On the patient’s left side (left shoulder of patient).

Why should you avoid placing the defibrillator on the opposite side?

Prevents leaning over the patient during defibrillation, improving safety.

What is the optimal team positioning for 4 paramedics in cardiac arrest?

Head – airway paramedic; patient’s left – responder 2; patient’s right – responder 3; foot – team leader.

Target time to first defibrillation in high performance CPR?

Less than 2 minutes.

Maximum pause allowed for rhythm analysis?

3–5 seconds.

Should compressions continue during defibrillator charging?

Yes.

What is the 'If in doubt, shock' principle?

When unsure about rhythm analysis, shock if it could be shockable (especially with monitor-based analysis).

When should you perform a pulse check?

Only for potentially perfusing rhythms (not VF, pulseless VT, or asystole).