PULSELESS ELECTRICAL ACTIVITY TREATMENT HOW TO

In patients who were ‘found down' or who present following ingestion or suicide attempt, the cause of wide-complex PEA is almost always sodium channel blocker toxicity. Identification of an arteriovenous fistula or dialysis catheter also suggests hyperkalemia. Again, the clinical scenario is usually helpful: in patients with critical illness, sepsis, shock or renal failure, the diagnosis of wide-complex PEA is usually hyperkalemia. Wide-complex PEA usually suggests a metabolic problem such as severe hyperkalemia with or without metabolic acidosis, or sodium channel blocker toxicity (fig.

PULSELESS ELECTRICAL ACTIVITY TREATMENT HOW TO

Moreover, even if such a list can be generated, the ACLS does not provide guidance on the relative likelihood of the specific causes, nor does it offer suggestions on how to individualize treatments based on simple initial findings. Studies, however, have shown that during cardiopulmonary resuscitation it is difficult to recall up to 13 causes of PEA. Memory aids list numerous conditions whose English names start with the letters H or T as potentially treatable causes of PEA (fig. Both the European and American ACLS guidelines, therefore, stress the significance of quickly finding and addressing the cause of PEA. Higher-dose epinephrine has actually been shown to be associated with worse outcomes. Studies suggest that cause-specific treatment of PEA is more effective than general treatments offered by advanced cardiac life support (ACLS) guidelines such as cardiac massage, epinephrine and vasopressin. The survival rate of patients with PEA is much worse than that of cardiac arrest patients with shockable rhythms. Patients with pulseless electrical activity (PEA) account for up to 30% of cardiac arrest victims.

Pulseless electrical activity treatment