ACLS Principles Flashcard 13

C. Rationale: Agonal gasps, apnea, and abnormal breathing with absent pulses indicate a cardiac arrest. The prompt diagnosis of cardiac arrest in critically ill patients with rapid intervention improves survival rates. Agonal breathing is an abnormally slow, irregular, or gasping pattern of breathing associated with cardiac arrest.

B. Rationale: In order of priority, administering chest compression comes first, rapid defibrillation second, and then establishing IV/IO access comes third.

D. Rationale: The most common causes of cardiac arrest are cardiac in origin. However, there are transient cases of cardiac arrest that can be reversible when immediate treatments are given, such as myocardial ischemia, hemodynamic dysfunction, electrolyte imbalances, changes in physiologic pH, changes in the partial pressure of oxygen, the effects of central and peripheral neurophysical action, transient effects of toxins and drugs, and alcohol.

D. Rationale: Pulse oximetry measures the arterial oxygen content, capnography measures end-tidal carbon dioxide pressure, and chest rise is an indication of adequate ventilation.

B. Rationale: Pulseless electrical activity and asystole are unshockable rhythms.

A. Rationale: Ventricular fibrillation is brought about by an extremely irritable ventricular focus that is characterized as a disorganized or severely chaotic rhythm, causing the ventricles to quiver and thus represents a nonperfusing rhythm. Pulseless ventricular tachycardia is also a nonperfusing rhythm, but it produces organized electrical activity. Pulseless electrical activity is also an organized, nonperfusing electrical activity. Asystole is the complete absence of electrical activity.

C. Rationale: Survival rates decrease if there is a delay in shocking a patient with a shockable cardiac arrest rhythm such as ventricular fibrillation and pulseless electrical activity. While providing chest compressions, the rescuer must simultaneously apply an AED in the out-of-hospital cardiac arrest setting. Once the AED has recommended a shock, the rescuers clear the patient and deliver the shock without delay.

B. Rationale: The just-in-time training approach allows personnel to receive needed training anytime and anywhere. This urges them to train consistently, particularly in critical areas such as resuscitation. The just-in-time training approach supplements face-to-face training and simulations.

A. Rationale: Return of spontaneous circulation.

D. Rationale: After 5 cycles of chest compressions and ventilations or roughly 2 minutes of CPR, the rescuers must perform a pulse check and a rhythm check if the patient is hooked to a manual defibrillator or AED.