PARA104 Lecture Notes - Lecture 6: Utstein Abbey, Triage, Extracorporeal
Document Summary
What is cardiac arrest: the electrical system of the health malfunctions. Cardiac arrest is identified by: unconscious, no cardiac output (no pulse) Occasionally patients in cardiac arrest may present with infrequent, irregular gasping inspiratory effects. Cpr is the technique of chest compressions combined with rescue breathing. Purpose of cpr: provides sufficient vital organ blood flow to preserve life until definitive procedures can be performed. The general principles are: provide good quality compressions, minimise interruptions to chest. Compressions: oxygenate the lungs, avoid excessive ventilation. Effective external cardiac compression (ecc) provides a cardiac output of only 20- Expired airway resuscitation (ear) provides ventilation with an inspired oxygen concentration of 15-18% The chance of successful defibrillation decreases with time. Good quality cpr and decreasing the time to defibrillation are the first priorities in resuscitation from sudden cardiac arrest. The purpose of bls increases the likelihood of successful defibrillation. A pause in chest compressions leads to a substantial drop in the coronary perfusion pressure.
