What is asystole?

Asystole, colloquially referred to as flatline, represents the cessation of electrical and mechanical activity of the heart. Asystole typically occurs as a deterioration of the initial non-perfusing ventricular rhythms: ventricular fibrillation (V-fib) or pulseless ventricular tachycardia (V-tach).

How does asystole happen?

Asystole is caused by a glitch in your heart’s electrical system. You can get a ventricular arrhythmia when the signals are off. That’s when your lower chambers don’t beat the right way. So your heart can’t pump blood to the rest of your body.

What is Asystolic cardiac arrest?

Asystole is the most serious form of cardiac arrest and is usually irreversible. Also referred to as cardiac flatline, asystole is the state of total cessation of electrical activity from the heart, which means no tissue contraction from the heart muscle and therefore no blood flow to the rest of the body.

What is a cardiac arrest and when does it occur?

Cardiac arrest, also known as sudden cardiac arrest, is when the heart stops beating suddenly. The lack of blood flow to the brain and other organs can cause a person to lose consciousness, become disabled or die if not treated immediately.

What is asystole of the heart?

What happens when you shock asystole?

A single shock will cause nearly half of cases to revert to a more normal rhythm with restoration of circulation if given within a few minutes of onset. Pulseless electrical activity and asystole or flatlining (3 and 4), in contrast, are non-shockable, so they don’t respond to defibrillation.

What happens after a cardiac arrest?

Most people who experience cardiac arrest do not survive. Among those who do, there is risk of neurologic dysfunction, brain injury, disorders of consciousness, neurocognitive deficits, changes in quality of life, as well as physical and psychological wellbeing.

Is cardiac arrest the same as sudden cardiac arrest?

People often use these terms interchangeably, but they are not synonyms. A heart attack is when blood flow to the heart is blocked, and sudden cardiac arrest is when the heart malfunctions and suddenly stops beating unexpectedly.

Is asystole regular or irregular?

In most cases, asystole is a lethal arrhythmia and survival is extremely rare. Asystole is a cardiac standstill. It is represented by a straight flat, or almost flat, line on an ECG. However, ACLS providers should not rely on an ECG readout alone for their diagnosis of a patient in cardiac arrest.

What are the 5 lethal rhythms?

You will learn about Premature Ventricular Contractions, Ventricular Tachycardia, Ventricular Fibrillation, Pulseless Electrical Activity, Agonal Rhythms, and Asystole. You will learn how to detect the warning signs of these rhythms, how to quickly interpret the rhythm, and to prioritize your nursing interventions.

How long are you unconscious after cardiac arrest?

Currently, many physicians wait 48 hours after a cardiac arrest for a patient to awaken from a coma, and some even opt to wait 72 hours. But due to testing limitations and other confounding factors, such as therapeutic hypothermia, predicting an outcome may be biased and premature.

Is asystole the same thing as cardiac arrest?

Asystole is defined as a cardiac arrest rhythm in which there is no discernible electrical activity on the ECG monitor. Consequently, it is sometimes referred to as a “flat line.” Confirmation that a “flat line” is truly asystole is an important step in the ACLS protocol. Ensure that asystole is not another rhythm that looks like a “flat line.”

Is heart attack and cardiac arrest the same thing?

A heart attack and cardiac arrest are not the same. A heart attack happens when the blood supply to the heart muscle is cut off. This is often caused by a clot in one of the coronary arteries. The heart is still pumping blood around the body during a heart attack. The person will be conscious and breathing.

What is the difference between a heart attack and cardiac arrest?

Heart Attack. What is a Heart Attack?

What medications are given during cardiac arrest?

Epinephrine is the primary drug used in the cardiac arrest algorithm. It is used for its potent vasoconstrictive effects and also for its ability to increase cardiac output. Epinephrine is considered a vasopressor.