The goals of emergency cardiovascular care are to pre- living will constitutes clear evidence of the patient's wishe serve life, restore health, relieve suffering, limit disabil and in most areas it can be legally enforced. ity, and reverse clinical death. CPR decisions are often made

asic life support(BLS)includes recognition of signs of means that in the first minutes after collapse the victims sudden cardiac arrest(SCA), heart attack, stroke, and chance of survival is in the hands of bystander foreign-body airway obstruction(FBAO); cardiopulmonary Shortening the EMS response interval increases survival resuscitation (CPR); and d

This publication presents the 2005 American Heart Asso- the evidence review, and (3)draft treatment recommenda- ciation(AHA)guidelines for cardiopulmonary resusci- tions. They then completed worksheets that provided the tation( CPR)and emergency

Frhythms produce pulseless cardiac arrest: ventricular effective for fluid resuscitation, drug delivery, and blood fibrillation (VF), rapid ventricular tachycardia (VT), sampling for laboratory evaluation, and is attainable in all age useless electrical activity(PEA), and asystole. Surviva

Part 7.4: Monitoring and medications is section provides an overview of monitoring techniques carbia (and therefore the adequacy of ventilation during and medications that may be useful during CPR and in the CPR), or tissue acidosis. This conclusion is supported by I mediate prearrest and postarrest settings. case series(LOE 5)and 10 case reports 0-l9 that showed that arterial blood gas values are an inaccurate indicator of the Monitoring Immediately Before, During

Acute Coronary Syndromes cute myocardial infarction (AMD and unstable angina rest \and Part 7.3: \Management of Symptomatic Brady- ollec-cardia and Tachycardia\) An overview of recommended care for the ACS patient is illustrated in Figure 1, the Acute Coronary Syndromes

asic and advanced life support for the trauma patient are effective and whether they adversely delay transport to, and fundamentally the same as that for the patient with a definitive management at, a hospital or emergency depart primary cardiac arrest, with focus on support of airway, ment(ED)

wning is a leading preventable cause of unintentional been found to be clinically significant. The most important morbidity and mortality. Although this chapter focuses factors that determine outcome of drowning are the duration on treatment, prevention is possible, and pool fencing has and severity of the hypoxia

Asthma accounts for >2 million emergency department Primary Therapy visits and 5000 to 6000 deaths annually in the United Orygen States, many occurring in the prehospital setting. Severe Provide oxygen to all patients with severe asthma, even those

lectrolyte abnormalities are commonly associated with inflammatory agents). Additional treatment is based on the cardiovascular emergencies. These abnormalities may everity of the hyperkalemia and its clinical consequences cause or contribute to cardiac arrest and may hinder resusci-