The Systematic Approach to Emergency Situations - ACLS Review
Summary
TLDRIn this video lesson from ICU Advantage, Eddie Watson introduces a new series on Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS). The series aims to simplify critical care concepts and is designed to supplement ACLS and BLS certifications. The lesson covers the systematic approach to ACLS, starting with initial assessments and moving through primary and secondary evaluations. Watson emphasizes the importance of quick, effective actions to improve patient outcomes in life-threatening situations. The video includes practical tips on CPR, defibrillation, and maintaining patient airway and circulation. Viewers are encouraged to like, comment, and subscribe for more critical care content.
Takeaways
- π Eddie Watson introduces a series on Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) aimed at simplifying complex critical care subjects for ICU practitioners.
- π The series will not replace ACLS and Basic Life Support (BLS) certification but aims to supplement learning and understanding of guidelines and best practices.
- π The primary goal of ACLS training is to improve patient outcomes in life-threatening situations by supporting oxygenation, ventilation, and circulation to preserve neurological function.
- π Initial assessment of a patient's condition is crucial, determining whether the patient is conscious and requires immediate intervention or not.
- π In cases of unconscious patients, immediate help should be called for, activating emergency response protocols and initiating BLS assessment.
- π‘ BLS forms the foundation of any ACLS algorithm and involves assessing a patient's breathing and circulation, with a focus on minimizing the delay in detecting cardiac arrest.
- π The importance of early defibrillation within the first few minutes of cardiac arrest is emphasized for better patient outcomes.
- πΌ Songs like 'Stayin' Alive' or 'Baby Shark' can help maintain the correct compression rate during CPR.
- π©Ί The systematic approach to ACLS involves an initial impression, BLS assessment, primary assessment using the ABCDE model (Airway, Breathing, Circulation, Disability, Exposure), and a secondary assessment.
- 𧬠The secondary assessment focuses on identifying and treating the underlying cause of the emergency, often using the 'H's and T's' mnemonic to remember common causes of cardiac arrest.
- π Eddie Watson provides additional resources and encourages hands-on practice for familiarity with equipment and procedures.
Q & A
What is the primary goal of Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) training?
-The primary goal of ACLS training is to improve patient outcomes in life-threatening situations by providing a systematic approach to handling patients, with a focus on supporting their oxygenation, ventilation, and circulation to preserve neurological function.
Why is it important to assess if a patient is conscious or unconscious during the initial assessment in the ICU?
-Assessing if a patient is conscious or unconscious is crucial as it determines the point of entry into the systematic approach for handling the patient's condition. It helps in deciding whether to immediately call for help or proceed with basic life support (BLS) assessment.
What is the significance of checking for agonal breathing during the BLS assessment?
-Agonal breathing is significant as it is a reflexive response characterized by labored gasps and strange vocalizations, which can be present in the first few moments following a cardiac arrest. Recognizing agonal breathing helps in quickly identifying the need for CPR.
How should one check for a patient's pulse during the BLS assessment, and why is the carotid pulse preferred?
-One should check for a patient's pulse by feeling for the carotid pulse in the neck, as it is the easiest to access and less prone to error compared to other pulses like the femoral. It is important to check the pulse to determine if the patient requires CPR.
What is the recommended rate and depth for chest compressions during CPR, and why is full recoil important?
-The recommended rate for chest compressions is 100 to 120 compressions per minute, with a depth of at least 2 inches. Full recoil is important to allow the heart to fully fill between compressions, which is crucial for maintaining effective blood flow.
Why is minimizing interruptions during chest compressions critical, and what is the impact of stopping compressions?
-Minimizing interruptions during chest compressions is critical because stopping compressions immediately stops perfusion to the heart and brain. It takes about five compressions to restore effective perfusion pressure, so keeping interruptions short and ideally under 10 seconds is essential.
What is the role of an AED (Automated External Defibrillator) in the ACLS systematic approach, and why is early defibrillation important?
-An AED plays a crucial role in the ACLS systematic approach by providing early defibrillation, which is key in treating shockable rhythms during cardiac arrest. Early defibrillation within the first few minutes of arrest can significantly improve the chances of survival.
What does the ABCDE model represent in the primary assessment of a patient, and why is it used?
-The ABCDE model stands for Airway, Breathing, Circulation, Disability, and Exposure. It is used in the primary assessment to systematically evaluate and address the patient's condition, ensuring that all critical aspects are covered to prevent further deterioration.
How can end-tidal CO2 monitoring be used to assess a patient's circulation during CPR?
-End-tidal CO2 monitoring can be used to assess a patient's circulation during CPR by providing an indication of the effectiveness of chest compressions. A value of at least 10 to 20 mmHg, and more likely greater than 20, suggests adequate compressions that are promoting blood flow.
What are the 'H's and T's' in the context of cardiac arrest, and how do they aid in identifying reversible causes?
-The 'H's and T's' refer to a list of common reversible causes of cardiac arrest, including Hypoxia, Hypovolemia, Hydrogen ion (Acidosis), Hypo-/Hyperkalemia, Hypothermia, and Toxins (including drugs and poisons). They aid in identifying and treating potential causes that could be reversed to improve patient outcomes.
Outlines
π Introduction to ACLS Training
Eddie Watson introduces the video lesson from ICU Advantage, focusing on simplifying complex critical care subjects for ICU success. He emphasizes the importance of Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) guidelines and best practices, which are a collaborative effort from global practitioners and the American Heart Association. The video is intended to supplement ACLS and BLS certification, highlighting the necessity for quick thinking and action in critical patient situations to improve outcomes.
π Basic Life Support (BLS) Foundation
This section outlines the foundational role of Basic Life Support in ACLS protocols. It details the initial steps in an emergency, including assessing the patient's consciousness, breathing, and circulation. The importance of checking for a carotid pulse and treating the absence of a pulse as a cardiac arrest is stressed. The summary also covers the correct approach to chest compressions, including rate, depth, and full recoil, as well as the significance of minimizing interruptions during CPR and the use of AED/defibrillator for early defibrillation.
π Systematic Approach to ACLS
The paragraph explains the systematic approach to ACLS using the ABCDE model (Airway, Breathing, Circulation, Disability, Exposure). It discusses maintaining the airway, supporting breathing with a bag valve mask, ensuring proper circulation through compressions and monitoring, and checking for disability in neurological functioning. The summary highlights the need for IV/IO access, ECG monitoring, and the administration of appropriate drugs and fluids. It also underscores the importance of a thorough patient exposure to visually inspect for any signs of issues and the performance of these assessments often simultaneously in experienced teams.
π Secondary Assessment and Reversibility of Cardiac Arrest
The final paragraph delves into the secondary assessment process, which includes a focused medical history using the SAMPLE acronym. The goal is to diagnose and treat the underlying cause of the emergency, with a particular focus on the reversible causes of cardiac arrest, referred to as the 'H's and T's. The summary stresses the importance of identifying and reversing these causes to aid in the recovery of spontaneous circulation and prevention of future arrests. It concludes with an invitation to stay tuned for future lessons and a call to action for viewers to subscribe and support the channel.
Mindmap
Keywords
π‘ICU
π‘Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS)
π‘Basic Life Support (BLS)
π‘Cardiac Arrest
π‘CPR
π‘Defibrillation
π‘ABCDE
π‘Agonal Breathing
π‘Intubation
π‘ECG
π‘ROSC
Highlights
Introduction to a new series on Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) by Eddie Watson, aiming to simplify complex critical care subjects.
Importance of ACLS and Basic Life Support (BLS) certification for improving patient outcomes in life-threatening situations.
The systematic approach of ACLS, focusing on supporting patients' oxygenation, ventilation, and circulation to preserve neurological function.
Initial assessment of a patient's condition, emphasizing the difference between conscious and unconscious patients in the ICU.
The necessity of calling for help and initiating an emergency response when a patient appears unconscious.
Foundation of BLS as the first step in any emergency, including assessing a patient's breathing and circulation.
Differentiating between normal and agonal breathing, with the latter being a reflexive response post-cardiac arrest.
Technique for checking a patient's carotid pulse and the importance of not delaying CPR if uncertain about the presence of a pulse.
The procedure for providing rescue breaths with a bag valve mask and avoiding over-ventilation.
Initiating chest compressions when a patient has no pulse, with guidelines on rate, depth, and full recoil.
Use of songs like 'Stayin' Alive' or 'Baby Shark' to maintain the correct compression rate during CPR.
Importance of minimizing interruptions in chest compressions and keeping them under 10 seconds to maintain perfusion.
Utilization of an AED or defibrillator upon arrival, with emphasis on early defibrillation for improved outcomes.
The ABCDE model for primary assessment, covering Airway, Breathing, Circulation, Disability, and Exposure.
Techniques for maintaining a patient's airway, including head tilt chin lift and use of airway devices.
Assessment of a patient's breathing using bag valve mask and titrating oxygen levels with pulse oximetry.
Ensuring proper IV/IO access, ECG monitoring, and management of arrhythmias with appropriate drugs and fluids.
Assessing for return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) through pulse check, ECG, and end-tidal CO2 levels.
The secondary assessment focusing on potential causes of the emergency and a focused medical history using the SAMPLE acronym.
Identification and treatment of reversible causes of cardiac arrest, referred to as the H's and T's.
Conclusion emphasizing the systematic approach as a framework for additional algorithms and guidelines in ACLS.
Transcripts
all right you guys welcome back to
another video lesson from icu advantage
and my name is eddie watson and my goal
is to give you guys the confidence to
succeed in the icu by taking these
complex critical care subjects and
making them easy to understand
if i'm able to do just that for you guys
then make sure you guys leave a like at
the end of this video as well as feel
free to subscribe to the channel to get
more content just like this here now in
this lesson here this is going to be the
first lesson
in a new series that i'm doing reviewing
a very
important concept in the world of
critical care our advanced cardiac life
support or
acls now years of expertise of many
practitioners
around the world along with the american
heart association
have come together with guidelines
algorithms and really
best practices for us with the end goal
of being improving patient outcomes in
these life-threatening situations
now over the course of this series i'm
going to be reviewing over some of the
major components of these guidelines and
really best practices
but remember that this series is
absolutely no substitute for
acls and bls certification my hope
though is that these videos are going to
be
available to kind of help supplement
your learning needs either before you go
to class
or during that two-year period between
your certification
and so working in the icu and really
caring for critically ill patients
it's going to be imperative that you
understand these guidelines and really
know them like the back of your hand
when you find your patient deteriorating
or even
coding time is of the essence and being
able to think and act quick
is really going to have a direct effect
on the outcome of your patient
so i hope to be able to help to cement
this knowledge for you guys
and we're going to start off this series
talking about the systematic approach
of acls
[Music]
all right as i mentioned the the whole
goal with our training of acls is
to be better practitioners of
peer-reviewed guidelines and best
practices
with the hopes of decreasing mortality
in our patients
the american heart association the aha
has worked to provide
a systematic approach to how we should
really handle patients
in these life-threatening situations our
primary goal
when our patients are in these
situations are to really support
their oxygenation ventilation and
circulation
all with the end goal of preserving
neurological
functioning for our patient when it's
all said and done
the whole process of a systematic
approach
really all begins with our initial
impression
and assessment of the situation so it's
here where we're going to first take in
the information about what's going
on where is the patient how do they look
what do we see on the monitor the most
important part of this initial
assessment
is going to be the assessment of if our
patient is either
unconscious or not now in the icu
oftentimes you're going to be caring for
ventilated and sedated patients
and the assessment is really not going
to give us any useful information
and so we're going to have to take in
more information at that point to make a
determination about what is going on
now whether our patient is conscious or
unconscious
is really going to determine at what
point in the systematic approach that we
enter in order to really do this
assessment you need to make sure and
tap your patient and shout at them are
you all right now
if they appear unconscious then first
and foremost
call for help so it's at this point here
where you're either
going to activate your emergency
response alert or your code
and really start off with our basic life
support assessment which i'm going to
talk about
now now our basic life support or our
bls is really going to be the
foundation of any acls algorithm that
we're working with
this is always going to be the first
step in dealing with any emergency
situation
now in some cases we're able to bypass
past this assessment because it's just
not required but this is
always going to be a part of the first
assessment that we evaluate whether we
need to intervene
at this point and so with our bls the
very
first thing that you want to do is to
assess two different things together
our patients breathing and their
circulation now for your patients
breathing
this is where you want to assess either
are they even breathing at all
or do they have any kind of abnormal
breathing now remember though that
agonal breathing is not normal breathing
and can really be present in the first
few moments following cardiac arrest in
your patient
and our agonal breathing is really a
reflexive response characterized in our
patients by
labored gasps that they're taking and
really strange vocalizations
it's pretty obvious when you see it and
you hear it and it screams
not normal now for a patient's
circulation it's really important that
you check a carotid pulse
it's the easiest to access and it's less
prone to error
when compared to checking like a femoral
pulse if you're
ever in doubt about whether your patient
has a pulse then treat it as if they
don't
now what's really important here is that
we actually want to be checking
both of these the breathing and the
circulation together
and the whole point of this is to
minimize the delay in detecting cardiac
arrest in your patient
and starting cpr this initial step
should take
no more than 5 to 10 seconds now if your
patient has a pulse
then we need to immediately move in to
support their breathing
so at this point you want to grab your
bag valve mask your ambu bag
and you want to begin giving them rescue
breaths remember this is going to be
one breath every five to six seconds
make sure that you're maintaining
a good seal and that you're seeing that
rise and fall of the patient's chest
also don't over ventilate the patient so
either going too fast or
too much with each breath and while
you're doing this you want to make sure
that we're continuing to check for a
pulse at least every two minutes
now if things at this point have
deteriorated or when you do that initial
assessment
that your patient has no pulse then
immediately begin chest compressions
now here make sure that you guys are
maintaining the adequate rate
the depth of the compressions and full
recoil of the compressions
for the right here we're talking 100 to
120 compressions per minute a couple
songs that fall within this range which
sometimes can kind of help to keep you
in line
would be something like staying alive
[Music]
or even baby shark if you want to have
that song stuck in your head
now when it comes to compressing the
chest that you want to make sure that
you're going at least
two inches now more often than not chest
compressions are going to be
too shallow than they are too deep but
studies do also show us that going too
deep on compressions can impact our
patients mortality as well so it's
really important that we're
we're sort of hitting that sweet spot
now when it comes to our recoil we want
to allow the full recoil the chest
between each compression
the whole point of this is this is going
to allow for the fulfilling of the heart
between the next compression
this is really important and so to
really kind of aid
in ensuring that we're having adequate
compressions if you guys
have a compression feedback device
make sure you guys use it it's very easy
especially as the code goes on
and exhaustion sets in that we can start
to see
decreased effectiveness of compressions
now it's also important though that you
remember as soon as you stop chest
compressions
that perfusion to both the heart and the
head are going to
immediately stop and then it takes about
five compressions
to really get that perfusion pressure
back high enough to be effective for our
patient
so what this means is that you want to
minimize any interruptions
and then really keep them as short as
possible when you do and ideally keeping
this less than 10 seconds
now as soon as the aed or probably in
the case of the hospital setting the
defibrillator arrives
you want to get the pads on your patient
and then assess for a shockable rhythm
immediately
and so the reason for this is that early
defibrillation and cardiac arrest is
really
key and we really want to see this
happen within the first three or four
minutes
from the time of a rest and so in order
to help achieve that it's going to be
really important that you guys are
comfortable with this equipment and
you're able to quickly apply the pads
assess the rhythm and deliver the shock
as quickly as you possibly can
now to kind of help talk through some of
this i'm actually going to link to a
lesson that i previously covered talking
specifically about the defibrillator
but this is really no substitute for
hands-on practice and familiarity with
your
own equipment as that's going to be key
to your success
and so back to our earlier point here
that you want to try to minimize
any disruption in chest compressions in
order to apply the pads
but as soon as you're able you want to
assess the rhythm and deliver a shock
immediately
you don't want to wait for two minutes
of chest compressions to end
now this may require stopping
compressions in order to analyze the
rhythm
and then obviously when we deliver the
shock but in some situations
and with some defibrillators that they
do have algorithms that
will allow you to continue to do
compressions
while actually being able to assess the
underlying rhythm
and then charge it up and get everything
ready to go and then from here you're
just going to continue to follow your
bls
training and guidelines but if your
initial assessment finds your patient
either conscious or you've already
performed your bls assessment
then what we next want to move to is the
primary assessment
to our systematically assess our
situation
and our conscious patients that they may
still require some
advanced assessment and actions without
the use of the bls
the hope in these situations is to try
and prevent the further
deterioration and then eventual rest of
your patient
now the systematic approach for the
primary assessment involves
a series of assessments and then actions
using
the abcde model all right so
here a stands for our airway b
is for our breathing c is for our
circulation
d is for our disability and then e is
for our exposure
so to begin we want to maintain the
airway of our patient
and this is going to be using something
like the head tilt chin lift
as well as using a device like a
nasopharyngeal
or oropharyngeal airway to help keep
that airway open
now here you guys remember please don't
use an oropharyngeal airway if your
patients are awake
in addition to this we do want to
utilize an advanced airway if it's
needed so
in almost all inpatient settings this is
going to mean intubation
now if our back valve mass though is
sufficiently working
then we're often going to be delaying
intubation until the patient
hasn't responded to our initial efforts
with cpr
now once we do have them intubated
though it's going to be really important
that you are confirming
placement of the airway both by
verifying that you have
equal chest rise and that you are
auscultating bilateral lung sounds
in addition to that you want to be using
entitled co2
also referred to as our waveform
capnography and this is going to be used
both
to verify placement and for continued
assessment moving forward
and then finally make sure you have the
endotracheal tube secured to your
patient
so when it comes to our patients
breathing that we want to be utilizing
the
bag valve mask to ensure that we're
providing them supplemental oxygen
supporting their ventilation while not
excessively ventilating the patient
now if you're in a code situation use a
hundred percent fio2 through the bvm
otherwise you want to be adjusting the
fio2 to maintain at least that's a 94
and so if you guys don't have it already
this is where we want to be using our
entitled co2 and our pulse oximetry or
spo2
in order to really be able to assess our
patient's breathing
now moving on to our patient's
circulation this is where you're really
going to want to ensure that you have
the proper
depth and rate of compressions and this
is both through
observed as well as watching our end
tidal co2
where we want to have at least 10 to 20
millimeters of mercury but more likely
closer or greater than 20. now first and
foremost at this point is you want to
assess whether you have iv io access
and if it's not present or it's not
functional then immediately get access
trust me the last thing you want is to
not have functional access
when one of these situations happens now
again if it's not already done then we
want to have our ecg monitoring going on
and we want to be keeping an eye out for
any arrhythmias and then obviously
defibrillate those as needed now we're
going to give them
any appropriate drugs and fluids that
are needed as well as this is also the
point where you want to
check a glucose and a temperature and
then really we want to
be watching for if we have achieved rosk
so this is the return of our spontaneous
circulation
and how do we know well check a pulse do
you feel a pulse with an
organized rhythm on the ecg also if you
have your end title co2
you're going to see an abrupt rise in
the co2 generally greater than
40 or more so now that you've done all
that at this point we want to
be checking for disability in our
patients and this means checking
their neurological functioning so this
is going to include our basic assessment
of responsiveness
level of consciousness and the patient's
pupillary reflex
and so when it comes to assessing their
level of consciousness
it helps to remember appvu apvu
this is our alert voice painful and
unresponsive
and then finally the last part of this
primary assessment is going to be
our patient's exposure and this really
means that we want to
uncover the patient from head to toe and
visually inspect for if there's any
obvious signs
of any potential issues and this can be
for things like
trauma bleeding burns any unusual
marks or even looking for any alert
bracelets now
the key thing to remember with all of
this that i just talked about in this
primary assessment
is that oftentimes especially as you
have more experience and you have more
experienced
teams that many of these assessments and
their actions
are going to be performed simultaneously
and not necessarily
in a step-by-step fashion now once this
primary assessment is done
then this is where we are going to move
on to our secondary assessment
now for a secondary assessment that this
is going to consist of the
evaluations of the potential causes of
the emergency
and then if possible an evaluation of a
focused medical history for the patient
for this focused medical history it
really helps to remember the acronym
sample and this is going to be the signs
and symptoms
any allergies any medications including
the last dose
past medical history last meal consumed
and events being any events in the past
or recently that led up to this
now the goal here with this secondary
assessment is going to be to diagnose
and then treat the
underlying cause now at this point here
we want to try and focus
on the reversible causes of cardiac
arrest
something that we refer to as our h's
and ts
and the h's and t's is really a list and
it can be
really useful in memorizing the most
common causes of cardiac arrest
and it can be useful in assessing and
evaluating what has led to the current
situation
now i am going to link to a video up
above where i did cover
these h t's quite in depth so make sure
you guys watch that if you want to learn
more about those
but here if we're able to rapidly
identify and then
reverse the cause or the potential cause
then we could potentially aid in the
recovery
of spontaneous circulation achieving
risk as well as the prevention
of future arrest following that all
right so the
systematic approach that we have laid
out here from the
initial impression that we get moving
right into our bls assessment
into our primary assessment for acls and
then on to the secondary assessment
that this approach is going to allow us
to quickly evaluate the situation with
our patient
and then to act quickly and
appropriately
with the best possible actions to try
and either
prevent a rest or to work to reverse the
issue and see a return of spontaneous
circulation
this approach here is merely the
framework on which
all of the additional algorithms and
guidelines sit on top of
which in the future lessons in this
series that i am going to be covering in
detail so make sure you guys stay tuned
for those
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