Basic life support Flashcards
What are the shockable cardiac arrest rhythms?
Ventricular fibrillation (VF) and ventricular tachycardia (VT)
What is asystole?
Most lethal form of cardiac arrest - cessation of electrical activity in the heart (flatline)
What is pulseless electrical activity (PEA)?
form of cardiac arrest - ECG shows a heart rhythm that should produce a pulse but does not
Acronym for basic life support
Danger, Response, Shout, Airways, Breathing, Circulation
How to open up the airway and prevent tongue obstruction
head tilt chin lift or a jaw thrust if possible spinal injury.
How to remove any food from the mouth
finger sweep or suction (never do a blind finger sweep)
How to check breathing and circulation
Keep the airway open. Palpate a carotid pulse whilst checking for breathing for 10s.
What is agonal breathing?
Infrequent gasps/gulps that is not true breathing (so ignore). Can be accompanied by seizure-like movement. Occurs in 40% of cardiac arrests.
Why does agonal breathing occur?
Natural reflex when brain is becoming hypoxic (usually due to cardiac arrest)
What should you do if someone is unresponsive and not breathing (cardiac arrest)?
Call 999 and start chest compressions (have some get BLS kit and AED)
What PPE should be worn during CPR?
droplet PPE (mask, gloves, apron) as ribs can break and stomach contents can come out
How to do chest compressions?
Interlock fingers with straight elbow and compress the sternum 5-6cm
How should you alternate between compressions and breaths?
30 chest compressions followed by 2 rescue breaths (BVM). Continue until AED arrives. Alternate rescuer every 2 min.
At what rate should chest compressions be done?
100-120 compressions per min (2 per second)
What does AED stand for?
Automated External Defibrillator
How should you prepare a patient for the AED?
Cut clothing covering chest, dry and shave areas where pads are placed.
What should you do while placing the AED pads?
Continue chest compressions
What should you do while the AED is about to shock the patient?
Stand clear, don’t touch patient, don’t touch equipment, move O2 meter away
How many joules / volts is in one AED shock?
150J / 4800 V
Name of equipment used for ventilations
Bag Valve Mask (BVM)
How do you administer ventilations?
It’s a 2 person technique where one person holds the mask to the patient’s face from behind ensuring head tilt chin lift. The other person operates the bag.
Features of a Bag Valve Mask (BVM)
mask, valve/pressure gauge, self-inflating bag, oxygen reservoir, oxygen connector tubing
How many litres of oxygen is in an oxygen cylinder?
460 litres of oxygen
How many litres of oxygen does an oxygen cylinder deliver per minute?
15 litres per minute lasting 30 min (460l total)
