Cardiopulmonary Arrest in Adults

Excerpt

Cardiopulmonary arrest (CPA) is the cessation of effective ventilation and circulation. It is also known as cardiac arrest or circulatory arrest. In adults, it is most likely to be caused by a primary cardiac event. The most common electrical mechanism which is responsible for 50 to 80% of cardiopulmonary arrest is ventricular fibrillation (VF). While, 20^% to 30% which represents the less common causes of dysrhythmias involve Pulseless electrical activity (PEA), and asystole. Pulseless sustained ventricular tachycardia (VT) is a less common mechanism. This condition could progress to sudden death if it not treated promptly. Nevertheless, a cardiopulmonary arrest (CPA) could be reversed by cardiopulmonary resuscitation and/or cardioversion or defibrillation, or cardiac pacing.

The American Heart Association's AHA periodically releases updates and recommendations for adult basic life support (BLS) and the quality of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) on adults. Despite the causes, early induction of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) along with cardiac monitoring will determine which pulseless arrest pathway one has to follow. Evidence suggests that more than 400000 people die of cardiopulmonary arrest in the U.S every year. They may or may not have been diagnosed with cardiopulmonary disease.