Reversible Causes of Cardiac Arrest

als cardiac arrest causesofcardiacarrest hypoxia patient safety safety Mar 18, 2024
Identification of reversible causes of cardiac arrest and subsequent treatment is shown to have a significant impact on survival and rearrest rates post return of spontaneous circulation. πŸ‘βœ…
 
At PC, we love cognitive aids, and the ALS algorithm recommends using the 4 Hs and 4 Ts to help us identify or exclude reversible causes of cardiac arrest to increase our chances of successful resuscitation. 🫑
 
Here they are in a nutshell:
 
4 Hs
πŸ‘‰ HYPOXIA: aspiration, asthma, COPD, was CICO declared?
πŸ‘‰ HYPOVOLAEMIA: blood loss, anaphylaxis, sepsis, and dehydration.
πŸ‘‰ HYPER/HYPOKALAEMIA & METABOLIC DISORDERS: diagnose with a blood gas!
πŸ‘‰ HYPER/HYPOTHERMIA: exposure, malignant hyperthermia, failure of intraoperative warming and monitoring.
 
 
4 Ts
πŸ‘‰ TENSION PNEUMOTHORAX: trauma, lung disease, central line insertion.
πŸ‘‰ TAMPONADE: trauma, current or recent cardiac surgery, laparoscopic surgery, central line insertion, aortic dissection, pericarditis.
πŸ‘‰ TOXINS: preoperative exposure, overdose, local anaesthetic toxicity.
πŸ‘‰ THROMBUS: coronary artery disease, DVT, PE, myocardial infarction or stroke.
 
Remember: there can sometimes be more than one reversible cause of arrest occurring concurrently, so your team should keep an open mind! 🀯
 
Thankfully for us (and our patients!), perioperative cardiac arrests have a 60% chance of being discharged home alive, 37% higher than other in-hospital arrests.🫢😁
 
Build knowledge βœ…
Improve safety βœ…
 
Ref: https://www.anzcor.org/home/adult-advanced-life-support/guideline-11-2-protocols-for-adult-advanced-life-support/
https://rcoa.ac.uk/news/nap7-report-perioperative-cardiac-arrest
 

 

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