Pulseless V Fib Treatment
The ventricular motion of vf is not synchronized with atrial contractions.
Pulseless v fib treatment. Second the patient will be pulseless. From start to finish you ll be in charge of assessing the patient and providing therapy and treatment recommendations. Ventricular fibrillation vf or v fib is the most common initial heart rhythm in patients with out of hospital cardiac arrest ohca and the most salvageable one. Vf figure 24 is a rapid quivering of the ventricular walls that prevents them from pumping.
The pulseless ventricular tachycardia rhythm is primarily identified by several criteria. The pulseless arrest algorithm has been established as the best practice in treating ventricular fibrillation. Acls cardiac arrest vtach and vfib algorithm perform the initial assessment perform high quality cpr establish an airway and provide oxygen to keep oxygen saturation 94 monitor the victim s heart rhythm and blood pressure if the patient is in vtach or vfib this is a shockable rhythm apply defibrillator pads or paddles and shock the. Treatment of v fib and pulseless v tach are two very basic yet very important skills for providers of emergency medical care as well as any hospital provider.
Asystole and pea are also included in the cardiac arrest algorithm but are non shockable rhythms. In this scenario you ve been presented with a 56 year old male patient who arrived at the er complaining of moderate to severe chest pains and discomfort. Ventricular fibrillation pulseless electrical activity pea and sudden cardiac arrest this article will focus on ventricular fibrillation pulseless electrical activity and sudden cardiac arrest. The treatment of vf and pulseless vt ventricular fibrillation and pulseless ventricular tachycardia is included in the cardiac arrest algorithm.
5 in vf the etiology of arrest is often attributed to either acute ischemia or non ischemic arrhythmia. These arrythmias lead to death if cardiopulmonary resuscitation is not started immediately. Ventricular fibrillation vf and pulseless ventricular tachycardia vt are life threatening cardiac rhythms that result in ineffective ventricular contractions. The emergency response system has been activated.
8 although vf appears as a chaotic and disorganized rhythm characteristics of the ventricular fibrillation waveform such as. The pulseless arrest algorithm follows after the primary survey has already been conducted. Vf and pulseless vt are shockable rhythms and treated in similar fashion. For treatment purposes pulseless vt is treated the same as ventricular fibrillation.
This writeup is intended as an interest piece only and should not be considered in any way a replacement for actual medical training. The treatment of such an arrhythmia is included in the acls pulseless arrest algorithm. First the rate is usually greater than 180 beats per minute and the rhythm generally has a very wide qrs complex. Pulseless arrest v fib teaching.