Treatment FAQ

what is the treatment of choice for a patient with ventricular fibrillation?

by Prof. Daron Brakus Published 2 years ago Updated 2 years ago
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External electrical defibrillation remains the most successful treatment for ventricular fibrillation (VF). A shock is delivered to the heart to uniformly and simultaneously depolarize a critical mass of the excitable myocardium.Jun 6, 2018

What is the best treatment for ventricular fibrillation?

Feb 23, 2020 · Terms in this set (10) The answer is D. Ventricular fibrillation is primarily treated with defibrillation. If three successive shocks and epinephrine have been given, the next line agent would be an antiarrhythmic, such as lidocaine or amiodarone. How do you fix ventricular fibrillation? Treatment options can include: Medications. Doctors use various anti-arrhythmic …

What is the first drug given for ventricular fibrillation?

Nov 26, 2019 · If the patient remains in ventricular fibrillation, pharmacological treatment should begin. Epinephrine is the first drug given and may be repeated every 3 to 5 minutes. If epinephrine is not effective, the next medication in the algorithm is amiodarone 300 mg.

What tests are used to diagnose ventricular fibrillation?

The treatment of choice for ventricular fibrillation is Defibrillation The rhythm with no P waves or QRS complexes, but with a wavy, spiked baseline resembling static is

What should you do if a middle-aged man in ventricular fibrillation is refractory?

Jun 06, 2018 · Surgical treatment in patients with ventricular arrhythmias and ischemic heart disease includes coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). The Coronary Artery Surgery Study (CASS) illustrated that...

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What is the first treatment for ventricular fibrillation?

Epinephrine is the first drug given and may be repeated every 3 to 5 minutes. If epinephrine is not effective, the next medication in the algorithm is amiodarone 300 mg. Defibrillation and medication are given in an alternating fashion between cycles of 2 minutes of high-quality CPR.Nov 26, 2019

What is the drug of choice for ventricular arrhythmias?

Amiodarone (Cordarone, Pacerone, Nexterone)

Amiodarone is the drug of choice for the treatment of hemodynamically unstable VT that is refractory to other antiarrhythmic agents. Prehospital studies currently suggest that amiodarone is safe and efficacious for use in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.
Dec 5, 2017

How is Vtach ACLS treated?

Apply defibrillator pads (or paddles) and shock the patient with 120-200 Joules on a biphasic defibrillator or 360 Joules using a monophasic. Continue High Quality CPR for 2 minutes (while others are attempting to establish IV or IO access).

Which drug is used to treat atrial and ventricular tachycardia or fibrillation?

The class III drugs are used to treat primarily atrial fibrillation, however amiodarone is FDA approved only for the treatment of ventricular tachycardia. Amiodarone is very effective however amiodarone toxicity is a concern.

What algorithm is used for ventricular fibrillation?

Ventricular fibrillation falls under the ACLS Adult Cardiac Arrest Algorithm and is the most important algorithm to know for adult resuscitation. 1 Ventricular fibrillation treatment starts with early and effective CPR with the application of oxygen and monitor/defibrillator placement. Keeping the brain, heart, and other vital organs perfused is very important in an arrest.

How long does it take to give a defibrillator?

Defibrillation and medication are given in an alternating fashion between cycles of 2 minutes of high-quality CPR. Continue until the patient achieves return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) or the cardiac arrest team determines it is time to stop the resuscitation efforts.

How many joules should a defibrillator deliver?

If a monophasic defibrillator is in use, 360 joules should be delivered to the patient. If the defibrillator is biphasic, the manufacturer recommended joules should be selected (usually 120 to 200 joules). If the amount is unknown, use the maximum available and subsequent doses should be equivalent, and possibly higher. 1

What is VF in cardiac arrest?

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 . 5 In VF, the etiology of arrest is often attributed to either acute ischemia or non-ischemic arrhythmia. 8

What is the most important intervention for cardiac arrest?

Irrespective of the cause of cardiac arrest, the most important interventions are early recognition and calling for help—including appropriate management of the deteriorating patient—early defibrillation, high-quality cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) with minimal interruption of chest compressions, and treatment of reversible causes. 6

What are the causes of VF?

The easiest way to remember the most common causes of VF are to review the reversible “Hs and Ts” in cardiac arrest. The Hs include hypoxia, hypovolemia, hypothermia, hyper/hypokalemia, and hydrogen ions (acidosis). The Ts are tension pneumothorax, cardiac tamponade, toxins, and thrombosis (pulmonary or coronary).

Is VF a chaotic rhythm?

Although VF appears as a chaotic and disorganized rhythm, characteristics of the ventricular fibrillation waveform such as amplitude, frequency, and organization can be systematically quantified in real-time. 4 These measures have correlated with arrest physiology and are strongly related to clinical outcomes. 7 Current guidelines call for prompt and repetitive defibrillation in the setting of VF during cardiac resuscitation. 2 Early defibrillation is key, but its success largely depends on several other factors, including witnessing of the arrest, early bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and most importantly, the time from arrest to the first shock. 3

What happens when D.cardiac cells fail to repolarize?

D.cardiac cells in the ventricles fail to completely repolarize, resulting in a decrease in ventricular automaticity.

Which type of cell depolarizes independently rather than in response to an impulse from the SA node?

A. many different cells in the heart depolarize independently rather than in response to an impulse from the SA node.

Is Defibrillation indicated in some cases of asystole?

D. Defibrillation is indicated in some cases of asystole.

Does D. produce a palpable pulse?

D. does not produce a palpable pulse

What is the most successful treatment for ventricular fibrillation?

External electrical defibrillation remains the most successful treatment for ventricular fibrillation (VF). A shock is delivered to the heart to uniformly and simultaneously depolarize a critical mass of the excitable myocardium. The objectives are to interfere with all reentrant arrhythmia and to allow any intrinsic cardiac pacemakers to assume the role of primary pacemaker.

What is the surgical treatment for ventricular arrhythmias?

Surgical treatment of ventricular arrhythmias in patients with nonischemic heart disease includes excision of VT foci after endocardial mapping and excision of LV aneurysms. This is practiced very infrequently due to significant morbidity and limited efficacy.

What is VF treatment?

Acute ventricular fibrillation (VF) is treated according to Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) protocols. [ 81, 82] ) Interest in improving rates of public cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) training—with a special emphasis on the use of early defibrillation with automated external defibrillators (AEDs) by public service personnel (eg, police, fire, airline)—is widespread. [ 2] These measures can help to achieve the greatest public health benefits in the fight against sudden death.

How much does defibrillation success rate decrease?

Defibrillation success rates decrease about 5%-10% for each minute after the onset of VF. In strictly monitored settings where defibrillation was performed most promptly, success rates of 85% have been reported.

How long does it take for a defibrillator to recover?

Recovery of cardiac output may take minutes to hours.

What are the factors that determine the success of a defibrillator?

Successful defibrillation largely depends on two key factors: the duration of the VF and the metabolic condition of the myocardium. The VF waveform usually begins with a relatively high amplitude and frequency; it then degenerates to a smaller and smaller amplitude until, after approximately 15 minutes, asystole is reached, possibly because of depletion of the heart's energy reserves. Unfortunately, VF waveform measures do not appear to be useful for differentiating ischemic from nonischemic cardiac arrest etiology. [ 88]

What happens when you defibrillate a patient?

If customary voltage is used to defibrillate a patient, the proportion of myocardial fraction (CK-MB) should remain within reference ranges unless an infarction has caused myocardial injury.

What is the treatment for ventricular fibrillation?

The answer is D. Ventricular fibrillation is primarily treated with defibrillation. If three successive shocks and epinephrine have been given, the next line agent would be an antiarrhythmic, such as lidocaine or amiodarone.

How to treat unstable VT?

The answer is E. Unstable VT is treated by a series of three stacked shocks, before medications. Early defibrillation is the key to successful resuscitation.

Can you give a medication via an et tube?

The answer is D. Several medications can be given via the endotracheal (ET) tube as well, if IV or IO access has not been established. The optimal dosing of drugs administered endotracheally has not been established, but 2-2 1/2 times the IV route is generally accepted.

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