Role of Nurse in

Cardiac or
Respiratory arrest
By: Shumjad Pareeth _ 17008
Cardio Pulmonary arrest in hospitals
Prevention of cardiac arrest is key...
If the efforts to prevent cardiac arrest fail and the patient's heart
stops pumping effectively, the focus should immediately be shifted
onto recognizing the signs of the arrest, calling for help, initiating
cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and using an automated
external defibrillator (AED) without delay
cont;
Due to the frontline nature of the profession, nurses are often either
direct witnesses or first responders to emergency situations in
hospital settings . These situations are usually unexpected and
include having to deal with both acutely ill patients and cardiac arrest
events until the medical emergency (ACLS) team arrives to the scene.
cont;
Therefore, qualified nurses play a pivotal role in the prevention and early
management of in-hospital cardiac arrest and their competence could have a
direct impact on patient outcomes . Accordingly, all nurses, irrespective of
their speciality, background and level of expertise are expected to be fully
competent in the following skills: 1) assessing a deteriorating patient using the
ABCDE approach, 2) escalating clinical concerns and communicating clinical
information, 3) recognizing a cardiac arrest, 4) activating the emergency
system in place, 5) performing effective CPR, and 6) using an AED safely .
Although all RNs now have BLS training in all the aforementioned skills,
research often suggests that nurses and nursing students continue to lack
competence in clinical assessment, inter-professional communication and
basic resuscitation skills.
cont;
On the basis of this ,we Almana general hospitals have policy for
nurse's continuous improvement of skills and knowledge in
resuscitation.
1- We have BLS refresh training and certification every 2nd year
2- We have monthly mock code blue drills and evaluation every
month in each departments.
Key Roles During CPR
In a hospital setting, nurses could play one or more of the
following roles:
• As a member of the resuscitation team
The initial rescuer performing CPR
• Managing defibrillation
• Managing airway and ventilation
• Managing lines, drugs and tubes
CONT;
• As the staff in charge of resuscitation documentation.
• Prompting team members of critical actions required
It is important to ensure that all aspects of a resuscitative sequence have been adequately examined in the
management of a cardiac arrest patient. The use of checklists to guide resuscitations can add a new
dimension to ensuring completeness of the resuscitation attempt.
• Ensuring all follow-up actions are completed
Following the completion of a resuscitation, there is a need to ensure that all resuscitation records are
captured, including timings of interventions and drug administration, printout of defibrillation sequences from
the defibrillator and printout from the CPR feedback device. This must be carried out as a bundled checklist. Our
nurses can fulfil this function by ensuring that all these documents are available during the resuscitation debrief.