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Management of emergencies and cardiopulmonary resuscitation
Airway
and Breathing
Cardiac Arrest and Inadequate Circulation
The emergency measures that are familiar to most of us are:
A Airway
B Breathing
C Circulation
The necessary ABC steps in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR)
learned by health personnel are often not effectively carried
out in practice. Panic is the main reason for this.
There is no need to panic, for two reasons:
| 1 |
The
events that have lead to a sudden collapse have probably
been going on for several minutes, if not hours, so
you have a few moments more to assess the situation. |
| 2 |
While
thinking about diagnosis and management, you can start
simple effective treatments following the ABC routine
or, better still, instruct others to do so. |
Stay calm when treating a collapsed patient.
The anaesthetist should concentrate on four areas that require
immediate action:
| :: |
Airway
and breathing |
| :: |
Circulation |
| :: |
Unconsciousness |
| :: |
Other
immediate problems. |
Airway
and Breathing
Cardiac Arrest and Inadequate Circulation
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To manage a collapsed patient:
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Keep
calm
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Use
ABC principles for immediate treatment
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Think
about and treat the underlying cause.
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