This week we discuss the ED management of cardiac arrest with VFib and pulseless VTach.
Take Home Points
Additional Reading
Core EM: Ventricular Tachycardia
Core EM: A Simplified Approach to Tachydysrhythmias
Core EM: Amiodarone, Lidocaine or Placebo in OHCA
emDocs.net: Epinephrine in Cardiac Arrest
REBEL EM: Beyond ACLS: Pre-Charging the Defibrillator
References
Driver BE et al. Use of esmolol after failure of standard cardiopulmonary resuscitation to treat patients with refractory ventricular fibrillation. Resuscitation 2014; 85(10): 1337-41. PMID: 25033747
Kudenchuk PJ et al. Amiodarone, Lidocaine, or Placebo in Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest. NEJM. 2016; PMID: 27043165
Laina A et al. Amiodarone and Cardiac Arrest: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Int J Cardiol 2016; 221: 780-8. PMID: 27434349
Double sequence defib has also been discussed as an option with seemingly good outcomes despite small sample sizes http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25243771