Patient selection: cardiac arrest
Diagnostic features:
(1) absence of peripheral pulse
(2) organized electrical activity on the ECG (sinus rhythm, other)
(3) exclusion of other diagnoses (inability to find pulse, electrical artifact)
PEA is distinguished from asystole and ventricular fibrillation (other ECG patterns in cardiac arrest).
Conditions associated with PEA include:
(1) severe hypovolemia
(2) hypoxia
(3) severe acidosis
(4) abnormally potassium concentration (hyper or hypokalemia)
(5) hypothermia
(6) toxin exposure or drug overdose
(7) electrocution
(8) myocardial infarction
(9) massive pulmonary embolism
(10) severe hypoglycemia
(11) cardiac tamponade
(12) tension pneumothorax
(13) aortic dissection
(14) malfunction of native or prosthetic valve
(15) blunt chest trauma
The prognosis for the patient is better when PEA can be converted to spontaneous circulation and organ perfusion quickly.
