
State‐of‐the‐art considerations in post‐arrest care
Author(s) -
Sonnier Michael,
Rittenberger Jon C.
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
journal of the american college of emergency physicians open
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2688-1152
DOI - 10.1002/emp2.12022
Subject(s) - medicine , intensive care medicine , psychological intervention , intensive care , targeted temperature management , hypothermia , emergency department , resuscitation , medical emergency , emergency medicine , cardiopulmonary resuscitation , nursing , anesthesia , return of spontaneous circulation
Cardiac arrest has a high rate of morbidity and mortality. Several advances in post‐cardiac arrest management can improve outcome, but are time‐dependent, placing the emergency physician in a critical role to both recognize the need for and initiate therapy. We present a novel perspective of both the workup and therapeutic interventions geared toward the emergency physician during the first few hours of care. We describe how the immediate care of a post‐cardiac arrest patient is resource intensive and requires simultaneous evaluation for the underlying cause and intensive management to prevent further end organ damage, particularly of the central nervous system. The goal of the initial focused assessment is to rapidly determine if any reversible causes of cardiac arrest are present and to intervene when possible. Interventions performed in this acute period are aimed at preventing additional brain injury through optimizing hemodynamics, providing ventilatory support, and by using therapeutic hypothermia when indicated. After the initial phase of care, disposition is guided by available resources and the clinician's judgment. Transfer to a specialized cardiac arrest center is prudent in centers that do not have significant support or experience in the care of these patients.