Resuscitation is the process of correcting
physiological disorders (such as lack of breathing or heartbeat) in an
acutely ill patient. It is an important part of
intensive care medicine
Intensive care medicine, usually called critical care medicine, is a medical specialty that deals with seriously or critically ill patients who have, are at risk of, or are recovering from conditions that may be life-threatening. It includes p ...
, anesthesiology,
trauma surgery
Trauma surgery is a surgical specialty that utilizes both operative and non-operative management to treat traumatic injuries, typically in an acute setting. Trauma surgeons generally complete residency training in general surgery and often f ...
and
emergency medicine
Emergency medicine is the medical specialty concerned with the care of illnesses or injuries requiring immediate medical attention. Emergency physicians (or "ER doctors") specialize in providing care for unscheduled and undifferentiated pa ...
. Well-known examples are
cardiopulmonary resuscitation
Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is an emergency procedure used during Cardiac arrest, cardiac or Respiratory arrest, respiratory arrest that involves chest compressions, often combined with artificial ventilation, to preserve brain function ...
and
mouth-to-mouth resuscitation
Mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, a form of artificial ventilation, is the act of assisting or stimulating respiration in which a rescuer presses their mouth against that of the victim and blows air into the person's lungs. Artificial respiration ...
.
Adequate resuscitation and end-organ perfusion is best indicated by urine output of 0.5-1 mL/kg/h. For the average adult male weighing ~70 kg this would mean a urine output of 35 mL/h (70 x 0.5 = 35 mL/h). Heart rate, mental status, and capillary refill may be affected by underlying disease processes and are thus less reliable markers for adequate resuscitation.
Documentation
For subsequent treatment, resuscitations have to be properly
recorded. One example is trauma care. Even though there is a strong expansion of
electronic health records
An electronic health record (EHR) is the systematized collection of electronically stored patient and population health information in a digital format. These records can be shared across different health care settings. Records are shared thro ...
, within the healthcare industry, resuscitation documentation is still often handwritten, increasing the risk of incomplete documentation. Novel options like tablet-based solutions help to digitalize this process. For improved documentation quality, future solutions have to be accepted by clinicians and well-integrated into their workflows.
Variables
See also
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References
{{Authority control
Critical emergency medicine
Emergency medicine
Intensive care medicine