Amiodarone & Lidocaine

01/05/22 • 5 min

Amiodarone or lidocaine may be given to patients in VF or pulseless VT refractory to defibrillation and vasopressor. Recent study comparing Amiodarone to lidocaine shows no statistical difference in survival to discharge. 1-1.5 mg/kg lidocaine IV push is the initial dose for cardiac arrest. 0.5-0.75 mg/kg may be repeated in 5-10 minutes to a maximum of 3 mg/kg. Amiodarone is not weight based. For cardiac arrest, the initial dose is 300 mg given IV push. If VF or pulseless VT continues, a second dose of 150 mg IV push may be given in 3-5 minutes. For wide complex tachycardia with a pulse, Amiodarone is administered IV as 150 mg over 10 minutes followed by a drip at 1 mg/min for 6 hours. Connect with me: https://twitter.com/PassACLS (@PassACLS) on Twitter https://www.linkedin.com/company/pass-acls-podcast/ (@Pass-ACLS-Podcast) on LinkedIn

Previous Episode

Nasopharyngeal Airway (NPA) Review

The nasopharyngeal airway or NPA is an alternative to an oropharyngeal airway that can be used in patients with an intact gag reflex. The NPA comes in different sizes and must be measured to reduce the liklihood of complications caused from inserting a NPA too short or too long for the patient. The NPA should be used with caution in patients with a suspected skull fracture. O2 administration, ETCO2 monitoring, BVM ventilation, and suctioning can all be done with a NPA in place. Connect with me: https://twitter.com/PassACLS (@PassACLS) on Twitter https://www.linkedin.com/company/pass-acls-podcast/ (@Pass-ACLS_Podcast) on LinkedIn

Next Episode

First and Third Degree Heart Blocks

Today's episode, I will help you identify first and third degree heart blocks. You will need to be able to identify some basic ECG rhythms in your ACLS class. If you don't look at ECGs regularly, it will be helpful to learn a systematic approach and practice it for a few weeks before your class. Many hospitals have sim labs or medical libraries with resources to help. There are some good ECG simulators online as well. First degree heart blocks look like NSR but with an elongated PR interval > 0.2 seconds, or 5 tiny boxes. Third degree heart block the Ps and QRSs all march out regular but the PR interval is variable. If a QRS is where a P should be, it is there but buried. Atropine is the first line medication for unstable bradycardia but may be ineffective for patients with a third degree block. A dopamine or epi drip may be started until TCP is available. Connect with me: https://twitter.com/PassACLS (@PassACLS) on Twitter https://www.linkedin.com/company/pass-acls-podcast/ (@Pass-ACLS-Podcast) on LinkedIn I'm here to help you pass ACLS.