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1 CE HOURAdministrative Skills

CPR and Airway Emergencies

CPR and Airway Emergencies 
 
Objectives: 
  1. Recognize cardiac arrest and airway emergencies requiring immediate intervention.
  2. Demonstrate the principles of high-quality CPR and AED use for adult, pediatric, and infant patients.
  3. Apply appropriate emergency response actions, communication strategies, and post-resuscitation considerations in healthcare settings.

Course Creator: Nichelle Volker RMA

Total CE Hours: 1

Course Number:  586-4307-26
 
Key Terms:

Cardiac Arrest
Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR)
Automated External Defibrillator (AED)
Agonal Breathing
Return of Spontaneous Circulation (ROSC)
Airway Obstruction
Defibrillation
Perfusion
Respiratory Failure
Choking

Outline:

Introduction
 
  • Course objectives
  • Importance of rapid recognition and response

CPR Fundamentals
 
  • What CPR is and what it is not
  • Why CPR works
  • Maintaining circulation and oxygen delivery

Scene Safety and Initial Response
 
  • Scene safety assessment
  • Chain of Survival
  • Activating emergency response systems

Recognizing Cardiac Arrest
 
  • Adult cardiac arrest recognition
  • Agonal breathing
  • Common recognition challenges
  • Differentiating:
     
    • Syncope vs cardiac arrest
  •  
    • Seizure vs cardiac arrest
  •  
    • Overdose vs cardiac arrest
  •  

High-Quality CPR
 
  • CAB sequence
  • Compression technique
  • Compression depth, rate, and recoil
  • Ventilation during CPR
  • Avoiding over-ventilation
  • Advanced airway ventilation

Common CPR Quality Problems
 
  • Shallow compressions
  • Excessively fast compressions
  • Leaning between compressions
  • Frequent interruptions
  • Knowledge Application: CPR interruptions scenario

AED Use and Cardiac Rhythms
 
  • AED basics
  • Shockable rhythms
    • Ventricular tachycardia
    • Ventricular fibrillation
  • Non-shockable rhythms
    • PEA
    • Asystole
  • Why early defibrillation matters
  • AED operation and safety considerations
  • When to pause CPR

Special CPR Considerations
 
  • CPR during pregnancy
  • Patients with pacemakers and ICDs
  • Traumatic vs medical cardiac arrest
  • DNR considerations

Pediatric CPR
 
  • Pediatric cardiac arrest recognition
  • Compression and ventilation techniques
  • AED use in children
  • Key differences from adult CPR

Infant CPR
 
  • Infant compression technique
  • Infant ventilation considerations
  • AED use in infants

Common Pediatric and Infant CPR Errors
 
  • Excessive ventilation
  • Excessive head tilt
  • Incorrect compression depth
  • Hesitation to begin CPR
  • Other pediatric resuscitation pitfalls

Airway Emergencies and Choking
 
  • Recognizing airway obstruction
  • Adult choking response
  • Pediatric choking response
  • Infant choking response
  • Foreign body airway obstruction management

Post-Resuscitation and Team Response
 
  • Return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC)
  • Ongoing monitoring
  • Team coordination after an event

Key Takeaways
 
  • Rapid recognition
  • Immediate CPR initiation
  • High-quality compressions
  • Appropriate AED use
  • Age-specific considerations
  • Effective emergency response teamwork


 
REFERENCES
 
  1. American Heart Association. (2020). 2020 American Heart Association guidelines for cardiopulmonary resuscitation and emergency cardiovascular care. Circulation, 142(16_suppl_2), S337–S357. https://doi.org/10.1161/CIR.0000000000000918
  2. What is CPR? (n.d.). American Heart Association CPR & First Aid Emergency Cardiovascular Care. Retrieved October 15, 2024, from https://cpr.heart.org/en/resources/what-is-cpr
  3. Vahedian-Azimi, A., Hassan, et. al. (2024). What factors are effective on the CPR duration of patients under extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation: a single-center retrospective study. International journal of emergency medicine, 17(1), 56. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12245-024-00608-2
  4. American Heart Association. (2020). Basic Life Support Provider Manual. American Heart Association.
  5. Topjian, A. A. Et. Al. & American Heart Association. (2020). Part 4: Pediatric Basic and Advanced Life Support: 2020 American Heart Association Guidelines for Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and Emergency Cardiovascular Care. Circulation, 142(16_suppl_2), S469–S523. https://doi.org/10.1161/CIR.0000000000000901
  6. American Red Cross. (2021). Adult and Pediatric First Aid/CPR/AED Participant's Manual. American Red Cross.

Accreditation Numbers

  • 586-4307-26