Tag: shock and resuscitation
- Finding And Treating Shock (hypoperfusion) ()
The first clue is that there is no radial pulse The primary survey is how the medics actually meet the patient. During this initial meeting, the medics determine if the patient needs CPR, is conscious, has a clear airway, needs oxygen or ventilation, and is in shock. The first clue that that the patient may […]
- AED Specifics ()
Adult defibrillators are recommended after 2 to 4 minutes of consistent CPR. If blood flow has not been established with consistent chest compressions, the heart chambers will not have any blood. When the defibrillation takes place and converts the patients electrical rhythm to a viable rhythm, no blood flow will result. Without consistent chest compressions, […]
- Defibrillation ()
Cardiac defibrillation is the act of administering a transthoracic electrical current to a person experiencing one of the two lethal ventricular dysrhythmias, ventricular fibrillation (VF) or pulseless ventricular tachycardia (VT). Under Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) guidelines, pulseless VT and VF are treated the same. Heart disease remains the number one cause of death in […]
- Automated External Defibrillator ()
An automated external defibrillator (AED) is a portable electronic device that automatically diagnoses the life-threatening cardiac arrhythmias of ventricular fibrillation (VF) and pulseless ventricular tachycardia, and is able to treat them through defibrillation, the application of electricity which stops the arrhythmia, allowing the heart to re-establish an effective rhythm. With simple audio and visual commands, […]
- This Is Why Your Chest Compressions Suck ()
You don’t know where to put your hands When a chest compression is performed, the weight of the chest compression is placed on the palm. The palm should be placed on the lower half of the patient’s sternum. The sternum or breastplate is the bone that connects the ribs on anterior portion of the patient’s […]
- Cardiac Arrest Chain of Survival ()
It takes a village to bring people back from the dead The 911 system was conceived in the 1960’s in response to the growing concern of civil unrest. It took nearly 50 years to get the nearly all of the United States access to this system. Why did it take 50 years? Because the 911 […]
- CPR: Knowing When To Quit ()
Ambulance services shouldn’t be expected to perform CPR on patients who are obviously deceased Sometimes, the ambulance crew is summoned to the scene of a person unconscious, only to discover that the patient is obviously dead. When a patient is obviously dead, there is no reason to begin resuscitative efforts. Sometimes, it’s obvious that the […]
- No Signs Of Circulation ()
Signs of circulation are any movement that would indicate the patient is alive Imagine a patient sitting in a chair awaiting the arrival of the ambulance crew. The patient see the medics come through the doorway. The patient can’t help but think help has arrived. The medics look at the same patient and say to […]
- Management of Inadequate Ventilation ()
When the patient is unresponsive and demonstrates any deficiencies with rate, rhythm, or quality in breathing, the patient probably needs to be ventilated with a pocket face mask or bag valve mask. The easiest and smallest device that would give the provider the ability to ventilate without performing mouth to mouth resuscitation is a pocket […]
- Relief of Foreign Body Airway Obstructions In Conscious Patients ()
Conscious FBAO aka ‘Choking’ When a person is choking, every muscle in their body is working to remove the obstruction. More times than not, the person will be successful and EMS is not needed. If EMS arrives to the patient while choking is still a problem, EMS can help the patient remove the obstruction. Assisting […]