Cardiac Arrest 360

Service Description

Cardiac Arrest 360 literally follows each link in the chain of survival and breaks down each link in great detail. Peer-reviewed scientific papers are referenced during this course (because…science!). For example, it’s intuitive that dispatch-assisted bystander CPR and public access defibrillation improve outcomes; however, citing published literature can be a powerful tool when engaging and challenging tele-communicators and EMS agencies to do better. During this course, we will look at the latest published research on the following topics (and how we can incorporate the findings into our practice): 1. Impact of telephone-assisted CPR (T-CPR) and public access defibrillation (PAD) on survival 2. Why are we compressing at a rate of 100-120, at a depth of at least 2”, and with a compression fraction > 80%? 3. Does mechanical CPR improve patient outcomes? 4. What about active compression-decompression + ITD CPR — does it really work? 5. Head Up Position CPR (HUP-CPR) — what do the data say about that? 6. What about epinephrine? Are we giving too much or too little? Are we giving it too early or too late? What IS the best dose? 7. What is the best antidysrhythmic drug to give for refractory VF/pVT? Do antidysrhythmics even affect outcomes? 8. IV or IO in cardiac arrest? Which route yields the best outcomes? 9. What about airway management during cardiac arrest? Should we intubate (if so, at what point?), insert a SGA (which one is better?), or simply provide BVM ventilation? 10. How vital is ETCO2 in cardiac arrest? Do ETCO2 readings REALLY correlate with compression quality? 11. Are we consistently ensuring that any potentially reversible causes of cardiac arrest are addressed? 12. Should the general principles of pediatric cardiac arrest management be the same as the adult? What does the science say? 13. What is a “bundled resuscitation” strategy? Why are agencies who implement this consistently reporting survival rates north of 40%??? 14. What about those who survive sudden cardiac arrest? Are we following up with them so see how they’re doing (physically, socially, emotionally)? What about their families?