Arrhythmias cardiopulmonary arrest

Ischemia occurs when the blood supply to the heart muscle is temporarily or permanently reduced. The events which may cause ischemia include occlusion of a coronary artery, cardiac arrest, heart failure, a variety of arrhythmias, cardiopulmonary bypass, and aortic clamping during various cardiac operations. Such ischemia can possibly lead to infarction of the heart muscle and impairing of the heart [127],... 

Cardiopulmonary arrest in adults usually results from arrhythmias. The most common arrhythmias are ventricular fibrillation (VF) and pulseless ventricular tachycardia (PVT), often in patients after myocardial infarction (MI) or pulmonary embolism (PE). In children, cardiopulmonary arrest is often the terminal event of progressive shock or respiratory failure. 

Rapid diagnosis of cardiopulmonary arrest is vital to the success of CPR. Patients must receive early intervention to prevent cardiac rhythms from degenerating into less treatable arrhythmias. 

Moses BL Cardiac arrhythmias and cardiopulmonary arrest. In Handbook ofSmali Animal Pac-tice, 2nd edition. Edited by Morgan R. New York, Churchill Livingston, 1992, pp 71-91. 

During cardiopulmonary resuscitation, Epi and other a agonists increase diastolic pressure and improve coronary blood flow, a agonists also help to preserve cerebral blood flow. Thus, during external cardiac massage, Epi facilitates distribution of the limited cardiac output to the cerebral and coronary circulations. The optimal dose of epinephrine in patients with cardiac arrest is unclear. Once a cardiac rhythm has been restored, it may be necessary to treat arrhythmias, hypotension, or shock. Treatment of cardiac arrhythmias is detailed in Chapter 34. 

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