Following the return of spontaneous circulation, damage still continues by way of reperfusion injury, hence stabilization is essential. The child will need complete ventilatory support until cardiac stability is achieved in a designated intensive care unit.
Often inotropic support with dopamine, dobutamine and epinephrine (adrenaline) will be required in the immediate post-arrest state to maintain adequate tissue perfusion.
The patient needs monitoring and investigations
Monitoring
• Pulse and rhythm
• Invasive and non-invasive blood pressure monitoring
• Respiratory rate
• Pulse oximetry
• Transcutaneous CO2 monitoring
• Arterial blood gases
• Skin and core temperature
• Central venous pressure
• Urine output
Post-resuscitation investigations
• Full blood count
• Urea, creatinine and electrolytes
• Liver function tests
• Blood glucose
• Arterial blood gases
• Clotting
• 12-lead ECG
• Chest X-ray
The facilities for these may not be readily available until transfer to the intensive care unit but the following investigations should be carried out immediately post-resuscitation.
No comments:
Post a Comment