How to start running a cardiac arrest

Cardiac arrests. Can’t live with them, paramedics can’t live without then.

Arrests can be crazily chaotic or mechanically smooth. To be honest, once everything’s been set in motion, running a cardiac arrest can be pretty repetitive. That’s a good thing.

The question is: how do you even start? Do you go for an I-gel? Do you take a BP? Do you stick in a cannula?

Nope.

Paramedics can enter a scenario at any part of the arrest -first on scene, second crew, somewhere after the LUCAS has already been put on, deep into the arrest when things are already flowing)- assuming we get there at all. Every arrest has similarities, but they can be incredibly different situations every time.

That means that it’s not always the fresh faced newbies that get confused on what to do, seasoned clinicians can also lack confidence in this area. And the reason for that is simple: they haven’t locked down the basics.

But knowledge and repetition can turn any clinician into a resuscitation pro.

So here’s what to do:

Once we have determined that the patient is in cardiac arrest there are THREE things to do IMMEDIATELY.

• Call for help – you don’t want to deal with this alone.
• Start compressions – no functional cardiac beat so we need to play heart.
• Pads and shock if they need- if that rhythm needs electricity, press the lightning bolt. If not, continue CPR and wait two minutes until the next rhythm check.

That’s the Rule of Three: Call for help, start compressions, pads and shock (if needed).

One more time:

Don’t be alone- obviously. Play heart, because the patient’s one sure ain’t working. Then slap those pads on, because if the rhythm is shockable, a jolt of electricity is the best possible treatment to reverse the arrest.

Prioritise these three things and you’ll feel infinitely more confident and capable at your next arrest.

Until next time,