Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation — Advanced

A 62-year-old woman is found unresponsive in the community and brought to the emergency department. ACLS is initiated. During the resuscitation, the monitor shows an initial shockable rhythm. What is the most common initial arrest rhythm in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in adults?

A 72-year-old woman with a history of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and cor pulmonale is found unresponsive at home. Emergency Medical Services (EMS) initiates CPR. Upon arrival at the emergency department, the patient has been receiving CPR for 18 minutes. The cardiac monitor shows asystole. After confirmation of asystole in two leads and proper electrode placement, epinephrine 1 mg IV/IO is administered. CPR is continued for another 2 minutes, and the rhythm remains asystole. What is the most appropriate next action?

A 58-year-old man with a history of hypertension and diabetes mellitus presents to the emergency department in cardiac arrest. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is initiated immediately. After 2 minutes of high-quality chest compressions and ventilation, the cardiac monitor shows a rhythm of coarse ventricular fibrillation (VF). The defibrillator is charged and a shock is delivered. After the shock, the rhythm changes to pulseless electrical activity (PEA). What is the most appropriate next step in the management of this patient?

According to the 2015 AHA guidelines for cardiopulmonary resuscitation, what is the recommended compression-to-ventilation ratio for single-rescuer CPR in adults?

In the context of advanced cardiac life support (ACLS), what is the maximum interval between defibrillation attempts in a patient with refractory ventricular fibrillation?