Posted on 11/14/2014

Good neurological outcomes likely in survivors of prolonged resuscitation

On a hot summer afternoon in Raleigh, N.C., paramedics from the Wake County EMS System (WCEMSS) respond to a middle-aged man lying pulseless and apneic next to his truck on the shoulder of an interstate.

The Raleigh Fire Department personnel who were first on scene had witnessed the patient suffer cardiac arrest after vomiting his sports drink. They initiated CPR and shocked the patient twice with an automated external defibrillator (AED) prior to EMS arrival.

Paramedics place the patient on a cardiac monitor and observe ventricular fibrillation, prompting a third shock and continued CPR. EMS and first responders work as a team to provide aggressive resuscitation in an effort to save the man’s life.

Paramedics obtain rapid intraosseous access to administer vasopressors, antiarrhythmics and cold saline. A blind insertion airway device provides adequate ventilation, and waveform capnography allows for constant monitoring of airway patency and metabolic status.

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SOURCE: JEMS.com

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