Term
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Definition
| A crash cart is a cabinet containing equipment that physicians and nurses need when a cardiac arrest occurs (the heart stops beating). This is obviously a grave situation and requires immediate life-saving steps. These are some of the items found on a crash cart: |
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Term
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Definition
| This is an electrical device with two paddles that are placed on your chest. It discharges electricity through your heart when a lethal rhythm is present. The goal is to shock the heart back to normal. "Lethal rhythms" include ventricular fibrillation (rapid, unsynchronized, uncoordinated heartbeat) and ventricular tachycardia (rapid heartbeat that prevents the heart from pumping properly). It can also be used in less dangerous rhythms to return the heart to a normal rhythm. |
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Term
| Endotracheal intubation equipment |
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Definition
| Endotracheal intubation is the procedure of placing a tube into someone's trachea (windpipe) when that person stops breathing or is not breathing adequately. The tube allows artificial respiration equipment to take over the job of breathing for the patient. The package includes tubes of different sizes and a laryngoscope -- a special light with a flat metal piece to lift the tongue out of the way so that a tube can be placed into the trachea |
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Term
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Definition
| These are catheters (small tubes) placed in the large central veins (near the heart) so that medications and fluids can reach the heart and important organs quickly. |
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Term
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Definition
| During a cardiac arrest, certain potent drugs are required to restart the heart or return it to a more stable rhythm. |
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