The evolving paradigm of individualized postresuscitation care after cardiac arrest.

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

11-2016

Institution/Department

Critical Care, Nursing, Pharmacy

Journal Title

American journal of critical care : an official publication, American Association of Critical-Care Nurses

MeSH Headings

Adult, Aged, Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation, Critical Care, Electrocardiography, Electroencephalography, Female, Heart Arrest, Hemodynamics, Humans, Male, Middle Aged

Abstract

The postresuscitation period after a cardiac arrest is characterized by a wide range of physiological derangements. Variations between patients include preexisting medical problems, the underlying cause of the cardiac arrest, presence or absence of hemodynamic and circulatory instability, severity of the ischemia-reperfusion injury, and resuscitation-related injuries such as pulmonary aspiration and rib or sternal fractures. Although protocols can be applied to many elements of postresuscitation care, the widely disparate clinical condition of cardiac arrest survivors requires an individualized approach that stratifies patients according to their clinical profile and targets specific treatments to patients most likely to benefit. This article describes such an individualized approach, provides a practical framework for evaluation and triage at the bedside, and reviews concerns specific to all members of the interprofessional postresuscitation care team.

ISSN

1937-710X

First Page

556

Last Page

564

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