ACLS Concepts Flashcards
ACS
acute coronary syndrome
ALS
advanced life support
AMI
acute myocardial infarction
CCF
chest compression fraction
CPSS
cincinnati prehospital stroke scale
CQI
continued quality improvement
CT
computed tomography
DNAR
do not attempt resuscitation
ECC
emergency cardiovascular care
ED
emergency departement
EMS
emergency medical services
IHCA
in hospital cardiac arrest
what is the average survival rate for an in hospital cardiac arrest?
24%
what are more than half of IHCA due to?
respiratory failure or hypovolemic shock
MACE
major adverse cardiac events
- death
- nonfatal MI
- need for urgent revascularization
MET
medical emergency team
NIH
national institutes of health
NINDS
national institute of neurological disorders and stroke
NSTE-ACS
non-ST elevation acute coronary syndrome or NSTEMI
OHCA
out of hospital cardiac arrest
what is the most common cause of cardiac arrest?
ischemia from CAD
what may be the first indicator of cardiac arrest?
brief generalized seizures
PCI
percutaneous coronary intervention
ROSC
return of spontaneous circulation
pts that display one of what have ROSC? 3
1 pulse and adequate BP
2 abrupt increase in etCO2 >40mmHg
3 spontaneous arteral BP waves via aline
RRT
rapid response team
rtPA
recombinant tissue plasminogen activator
what is rtPA used for?
fibrinolytic used to treat pts with STEMI
STEMI
st elevation MI
TCP
transcutaneous pacing
TTM
targeted temperature management
UA
unstable angina
agonal breathing
more than half cardiac arrest pts experience “gasps”, gurgling, moaning, snorting, or labored breathing
agonal rhythm
slow complex rhythms that immediately precede asystole
what should be initiated when agonal rhythms are incountered?
chest compressions bc agonal rhythms do not produce life sustaining cardiac output
what is the definition of CCF and what is the correct fraction
proportion of time spent performing chest compressions
at least 60% but ideally >80%
neonate
0-28 days
infant
1 month-1 year
child
1 year to puberty (breast development or axillary hair in males)
adult
puberty or older
lay person or lay provider definition
no specialized/professional knowledge of a subject
mild respiratory distress
change in airway sounds
severe respiratory distress
deterioration in color
changes in mental status
hypoventilation RR
<6
bradypnea RR
<12
normal RR
12-16
tachypnea RR
> 20
stable
normal BP and signs of good perfusion
what are the signs of good perfusion
good color good pulse good capillary refill warm awake and alert
unstable
hypotension and signs of poor perfusion
what are the signs of poor perfusion
blue or pale weak pulse delayed capillary refill cold altered or depressed consciousness sick
triage
process of deciding which pt should be treated first and where they should go based on how sick they are
name the 6 person high performance teams (in order)
1- team leader 2- compressor 3- AED/monitor/defibrillator 4- airway 5- IV/IO/Medication 6- timer/recorder
what does the team leader do
assigns roles to team members, makes decisions, provides feedback and responsible for unassigned roles
how often does the compressor alternate? and with who do they alternate with?
alternates with AED person every 5 cycles (2min) or when fatigue sets in
what does the AED/monitor/defibrillator person do?
obtains and operates defib and places monitor so team leader can see
rotates with compressor
what does the airway person do?
ventilates and intubates if necessary
what team member establishes access and pushes drugs?
IV/IO/medications member
what does the timer/recorder do?
records times of interventions/medications
announces when next drug is due
records frequency and duration of interruptions in compressions
what if you have less than 6 people?
multiple providers can take higher priority tasks
at what number of providers should there be a team leader?
2 or more
cardiac arrest teams
code blue teams
do NOT prevent, only respond after arrest has occured
RRT or METS purpose
identify and treat early clinical deterioration BEFORE arrest
what percent of IHCA pts have abnormal vitals documented for up to 8 hours?
80%
what are the three components of a rapid response team?
1 -event detection and activating response (by nurse, family, doc)
2- planned response arm (RRT) (hosp sets criteria as trigger)
3- quality monitoring and administrative support
8 steps to successful team dynamics
1- have clear roles 2- know your limits 3- have constructive intervention 4- share knowledge 5- summarize and re-evaluate 6 have a closed loop communication 7- give clear messages 8- have mutual respect
what is the most important role of a team member?
being proficient in skills according to your scope of practice
what should you do if you are assigned a task you do not feel proficient in?
ask for a new task
what are the 3 steps to knowing your limits
1- call for assistance EARLY
2- don’t initiate unfamiliar therapy without advice
3- don’t take on too many tasks
should you suggest an alternative drug, dose or question someone if they are about to make a mistake?
YES but do so tactfully so it is a CONSTRUCTIVE INTERVENTION
how do you share knowledge 3
1 avoid fixation error (fixating on one thing when there are more important ones)
2 encourage environment of sharing
3 ask if anything has been overlooked
how do you summarize and re-evaluate during a code? 3
- keep records of drugs/therapy
- monitor and reassess after treatments
- inform arriving personnel of status/plans
can you give a drug without confirming verbally with your team leader?
NO
explain closed loop communication
team leader gives order
confirms it was heard
listens to confirmation from team member before assigning another task
3 steps to giving clear messages during a code
speak clearly no shout/mumble
repeat if necessary
question if there is any doubt
what are examples of systems of care
community (lay providers)
out of hospital (EMS)
hospital systems (code team, RRT, CCT, stroke team)
OCHA chain of survival 5
1- recognition/ activation of emergency response
2- immediate CPR
3- rapid defibrillation
4- basic and advanced EMS/transport
5- advanced life support and postarrest care
IHCA chain of survival 5
1- hosp providers monitor/prevent arrest 2- arrest witnessed EMS activated 3- CPR started 4- Defibrillation ASAP 5- ACLS and postarrest care
what two things should you do before approaching the pt?
use universal precautions (gloves)
make sure scene is safe (if in field)
what assessment do you do if the pt is unconscious?
BLS RACD
RACD
- Responsiveness
- Activate EMS and get AED
- Circulation check (pulse and breathing simutaneously)(CPR)
- Defibrillation
during RACD you check the circulation and there is no pulse what do you do?
begin chest compressions
during RACD you check the circulation and there is a pulse but no breathing what do you do?
give two rescue breaths
does BLS assessment include intubation or starting an IV?
no
what is probable if you see a patient collapse
sudden cardiac arrest
what is probably if you see a patient drown
hypoxic cause of arrest
what do you do if you are lone rescuer and pt with hypoxic arrest
2 min CPR
then activate EMS
what do you do if you are lone rescuer and pt with probable cardiac arrest
activate EMS and get AED
then start CPR
bc defibrillation is needed to treat
what assessment should you do if the patient is conscious?
primary assessment (ABCDEs)
what if you are unsure if the patient is conscious?
start RACD (check responsiveness)
what is ABCDEs?
PRIMARY ASSESSMENT airway breathing circulation disability exposure
A of primary assessment
airway
check patency and consider advanced airway placement
B of primary assessment
breathing
consider supplementary oxygen and advanced airway placement, monitor oxygenation and ventilation
C of primary assessment
circulation
assessing pulse, EKG, BP (stable vs unstable), CPR effectiveness, temp and glucose, need for fluid or drugs, need for cardioversion/defib
D of primary assessment
disability
check neurologic function (responsive, conscious level, pupil dilation)
AVPU
AVPU
alert, voice, painful, unresponsive
E of primary assessment
exposure
remove clothing to perform quick physical exam
look for signs of trauma, bleeding, burns, medical alert bracelet
initial steps on conscious pt what things do you want to verbilize?
1- oxygen placed on pt (A and B)
2- monitors placed, 12 lead ECG, SpO2, BP (C)
3- IV placed (C)
once you have a SpO2 monitor on what do you want to titrate the SpO2 to?
94-99%
after you verbilize the first 3 steps what should you do?
auscultation and check patency of airway
check BP/pulse (stable?)
check ECG (rhythm?)
neurologic fxn and physical exam
what makes up the secondary assessment?
SAMPLE and H’s & T’s
searches for cause of problem
SAMPLE
signs and symptoms allergies medications past medical history last meal events
when should you verbalize SAMPLE?
conscious pt
when should you verbalize Hs and Ts
unconscious pt
how many hypos, hypers and H+ are in the H’s?
5 hypos
1 hyper
1 H+
what are the 7 H’s of pulseless arrest?
hypovolemia hypoxemia hypothermia hypoglycemia hypokalemia hyperkalemia acidosis (H+)
what are the 5 T’s of pulseless arrest?
tamponade thrombosis (coronary/pulm) tension pneumothorax trauma toxins
how is cardiac tamponade diagnosed and treated
diagnosed with ultrasound
treated with pericardiocentesis
in pts with cardiac arrest due to presumed or known PE what is it reasonable to do?
administer fibrinolytics
what is the diagnosis for a tension pneumothorax
unilateral absent breath sounds deviated trachea hypotension CXR bedside ultrasound
treatment for tension pneumo
needle decompression
then chest tube
needle decompression
2nd intercostal space
mid clavicular line
chest tube
6th intercostal space
mid axillary line
what can toxins or drug overdose lead to? ECG
prolonged QT on ECG
how do you treat toxins or drug OD?
monitor blood sugar (beta blocker or alcohol can lead to hypoglycemia) gastric lavage (wash out stomach) charcoal tablets
what should wall suction be capable of ?
-80 to -120 mmHg
usually >-300
effective suction technique
<10 sec, <10 attempts
follow with short period of O2
what should you do if suctioning thick material?
squirt 1-2cc N/S before suctioning
what type of suction goes down ETT and is better for thin secretions
soft suction catheter
in trauma pts how should the airway be opened? what should be avoided and why
jaw thrust
avoid chin lift bc of potential cervical instability
for trauma pts should manual spinal motion restriction or immobilization devices be used?
manual spinal motion restriction bc the collars can complicate airway management