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Intermediate15 min estimatedResuscitation

Adult Cardiac Arrest

VF arrest — ALS algorithm and post-ROSC care

ALSCPRdefibrillationROSCResuscitation Council UK

This station is for CPD and OSCE practice only. Not a regulated qualification or formal competency sign-off. Always work within your scope of practice, local policy, employer guidance and current UK clinical guidelines.

Dispatch Information

“Category 1 — 58-year-old male, collapsed in kitchen. Caller states not breathing, no pulse. Bystander CPR in progress. Collapse approximately 4 minutes ago.”

Candidate Brief

You are a Paramedic attending with your crewmate. On arrival, a bystander is performing CPR on a middle-aged male on the kitchen floor. The patient's wife Janet is present. You have full ALS equipment. This station assesses your ability to manage adult cardiac arrest per Resuscitation Council UK 2021 guidelines.

Learning Points
  • Minimise interruptions to CPR — hands-off time <5 seconds for rhythm checks
  • Defibrillation is the definitive treatment for VF — do not delay for IV access or drugs
  • Adrenaline 1mg IV after 3rd shock in shockable rhythms, then every 3-5 mins
  • Amiodarone 300mg IV after 3rd shock for refractory VF/pVT
  • Post-ROSC: target SpO2 94-98%, obtain 12-lead ECG, check glucose
  • Inferior STEMI post-ROSC requires emergency PPCI — pre-alert is mandatory
  • Atropine is NOT used in cardiac arrest (removed from guidelines 2010)

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