Post Cardiac Arrest Flashcard 2

A. Rationale: Oxygen supplementation should be titrated to maintain an oxygen saturation of 94% to 100% in post-cardiac arrest patients.100% SpO₂ is to be avoided as hyperoxia is also associated with increased mortality following cardiac arrest. An arterial blood gas can also help guide oxygen supplementation.

C. Rationale: Uncal herniation is precipitated by increased intracranial pressure due to edema or brain hemorrhage, which causes uncal herniation where the brain stem herniates into the foramen magnum suppressing the respiratory centers.

D. Rationale: The American Heart Association PALS guidelines recommend titrating volume expanders and vasoactive drug to reach and maintain systolic blood pressure above the 5th percentile for age.

C. Rationale: A pulse oximeter is a noninvasive device used to monitor a patient’s oxygen saturation through its peripheral oxygen saturation (SPO₂) reading. It is commonly applied or attached to a thin part of the body such as a fingertip, an earlobe, or in the case of an infant, across the toe or foot. A waveform capnograph is used to measure end-tidal CO₂ and does not measure oxygen saturation. Arterial blood gas analyzers accurately measure oxygen saturation in the arterial blood. However, it is an invasive method. An electrocardiogram monitors the heart’s electrical activity over time using electrodes attached to the patient’s chest and does not measure oxygen saturation.

A. Rationale: A waveform capnography device uses a sensor to measure or detect carbon dioxide (CO₂) levels (specifically end-tidal CO₂) in expired air. The waveform capnograph may be attached to the bag-mask valve, the endotracheal tube, or even a nasal cannula. A pulse oximeter is a noninvasive device used to monitor a patient’s oxygen saturation by a peripheral oxygen saturation (SPO2) reading. An arterial blood gas analyzer accurately measures oxygen saturation and arterial CO₂ levels in the arterial blood. However, it is an invasive method. Both pulse oximeter and arterial blood gas analysis do NOT measure end-tidal CO₂. An electrocardiogram (ECG) monitors the heart’s electrical activity over time using electrodes attached to the patient’s chest. It does NOT measure end-tidal CO₂.