Special Resuscitation Situations

Abstract

SPECIAL situations that can lead to cardiopulmonary arrest require rescuers to change their approach to resuscitation. Such situations include cardiac arrest associated with stroke, hypothermia, near-drowning, trauma, electric shock and lightning strike, and pregnancy. Emergency personnel should carefully note the differences in triage, emphasis, and technique. <h3>STROKE</h3> Stroke is an illness of sudden onset caused by occlusion or rupture of a blood vessel in the brain. Approximately 75% of cases are ischemic: an artery is blocked by a blood clot that either developed within the vessel (thrombosis) or arose from another source, usually the heart, and migrated to the brain (embolism). Hemorrhagic stroke is the result of a ruptured cerebral blood vessel. The bleeding can occur adjacent to the brain (subarachnoid hemorrhage) or into the substance of the brain (intracerebral hemorrhage). In many cases stroke can be prevented, but only if warning signs are heeded. The most important forecaster of