P P P
O O O
T T T
DD D.
so you just threw in a TVP, dope bro. you did it. high fives all around. welcome to the show, you've made it. might as well end the shift right now, because those incoming 7 stroke codes aren't gonna brighten your day any more than this will
---but wait----
theres still more to do
just because you're getting electrical capture, doesn't quite mean you're getting mechanical capture.
so low and beHOLD
here .
are .
five ways to check for mechanical capture
1. Pulse ox - the crazy thing about a pulse ox is that it can show the pulse. look out for that wave form! this can give you an idea of whether the body is seeing actual pulses
2. End tidal CO2 - just like in CPR, the end tidal CO2 gives you an idea of if we're getting actual perfusion and exchange. a super low end tidal co2 means we're probably not get the mechanical capture and perfusion/exchange we want.
3. Our sweet baby ultrasound - check for some cardiac movement broseph
4. An A-line - get those procedures up
and finally
5. Checking the pulse - I know, bizarre, no machines and putting your hands on the patient? so 1990s, gonna pop into blockbuster after this, then you can catch me on AIM, think i still got a few thousand hours left of that AOL free trial. PRO TIP: use the femoral pulse instead of the carotid! electrical stimulations can cause muscle contractions that are coonfused for the pulse. dont get caught out there!
in the end, don't assume electrical capture = mechanical capture
don't say i never did anything for you.
besitos