2. Agenda
• Cardiac Arrest
• Basic Life Support
• Advanced Cardiac Life Support for
Pulseless Arrest
• Ventricular Fibrillation (VF)
• Pulseless Ventricular Tachycardia (VT)
• Asystole
• Pulseless Electrical Activity (PEA)
• Algorithms
3. Cardiac Arrest
• Sudden loss of heart function
• With or without prior history of heart
disease
• May lead to death within minutes
• In U.S. up to 750,000 cardiac arrests with
attempted resuscitation every year
• 225,000 deaths
4. Causes of Cardiac Arrest
• Most commonly coronary artery disease
• Electrical impulses become too rapid
(ventricular tachycardia) or chaotic
(ventricular fibrillation)
• Also from profound bradycardia,
respiratory arrest/choking/drowning,
electrocution, trauma and other causes
• May also occur without any known cause
Americanheart.org
5. • Brain death begins within 4-6 minutes
• Cardiac arrest can be reversed within
minutes
• Chances of survival decrease 7-10% every
minute without CPR or defibrillation (not
including cold-water drowning)
• Early & effective CPR and early &
appropriate defibrillation are keys to
management
Americanheart.org
6. Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR)
Basic Life Support (BLS)
• Chest Compressions and Rescue
Breathing for person felt to be in cardiac
arrest
• To provide blood flow to brain and heart
• Maintain end-organ perfusion during arrest
• May still likely require defibrillation or
definitive treatment of ACLS
(anti-arrhythmic medications, fluid
resuscitation, electrolyte restoration, etc.)
7. BLS Healthcare Provider Algorithm
No movement or response
Open AIRWAY, check BREATHING
If not breathing, give 2 BREATHS that make chest rise
• Give 1 breath every 5 to 6
seconds
• Recheck pulse every 2
minutes
If no response, check pulse:
Definite pulse
Give cycles of 30 COMPRESSIONS and 2 BREATHS
Push hard and fast (100/min) and release completely
Minimize interruptions in compression
No pulse
AED/defibrillator ARRIVES
Check rhythm
Shockable rhythm?
Give 1 shock
Resume CPR immediately
for 5 cycles
Resume CPR immediately
For 5 cycles
Check rhythm every
5 cycles; continue until ALS
Providers take over or
victim starts to move
Shockable
(VF/VT)
Non Shockable
Adapted from Circulation;112 (24 Supplement): IV-19.
(2005)
8. ABCD’s of BLS
Step 1: Airway
• Head-tilt, Chin-lift maneuver
• Open airway
9. Step 2: Breathing
Look, listen, and feel
• Look for chest rise
• Listen for normal breath sounds
• Feel air flow with cheek or hand
• If not detected within 10 seconds, give 2
rescue breaths, then proceed to next step
• Each breath for 1 second
• Visible chest rise
• Bag-mask, mouth-to-mask, mouth-to-
mouth
17. • Deliver single shock (360 J Monophasic or
200 J Biphasic)
• Immediate 5 cycles of CPR
• Assess rhythm – Still shockable rhythm?
• Repeat defibrillation, 5 cycles of CPR, and
either epinephrine 1mg every 3-5 minutes
or Vasopression 40 Units IV x 1
• Assess rhythm – Still shockable rhythm?
• Repeat defibrillation, 5 cycles of CPR, and
consider antiarrhythmics
• Amiodarone 300mg IV push or
• Lidocaine 1-1.5mg/kg
19. • Immediate 5 cycles of CPR
• Epinephrine 1mg IV every 3-5 minutes or
Vasopressin 40 Units IV x 1
• Atropine 1mg IV for asystole or slow PEA
• Reassess rhythm – Still non-shockable?
• Repeat pattern and consider differential