Resuscitation and Covid-19 in Primary Care Settings

Image is from the Resus Council UK and this is the link to their resources on Covid

Resuscitation Guidelines due to Covid-19 in Primary Care

This blog details the key issues relating to Resuscitation and covid-19 in primary care settings.  There has understandably been a number of adaptations to resuscitation in primary care due to Covid-19.  These are to mitigate the risks to rescuers.

These changes to resuscitation and covid-19 in primary care are important and different to what we would normally do.  Therefore, if you haven’t had your training recently please take note of the following:-

 

Is it safe?

• We always start by considering our safe approach to our victim.  This is paramount now.  Please consider are you safe?  Is the team safe?

Confirming Cardiac Arrest

• When confirming cardiac arrest remember to ‘look for signs of life’.  Do not put your face close to the patient to listen/feel for breath.

Defibrillate First

• If no rescuers are available with level 3 PPE begin by attaching the defibrillator and follow the prompts.
  • Ideally defibrillation requires level 2 PPE.  However, the Resuscitation Council state “Early use of a defibrillator significantly increases the person’s chances of survival and does not increase risk of infection.” Therefore if level 2 PPE is not available proceed with gloves and a mask.
  • Other team members can begin to don level 3 PPE.

Giving Compressions

• To provide compressions ideally requires level 3 PPE, if not available you can use level 2 PPE with the patient’s face covered with a mask or cloth, as per the Resuscitation Council guidelines.
  • “In the initial phase before airway equipment and assistance is available cover the patient’s face with a cloth or mask.”
• When help arrives with level 3 PPE they take over.  The first helper decontaminates and leaves and dons appropriate PPE.

Providing Breaths

• Do not give mouth to mouth or use your pocket mask, unless this person is part of your bubble and you deem it safe.
• A bag and mask should only be used as a two person technique.
  • If an effective seal cannot be maintained then place a mask over the patient’s face in order to protect the team from aerosols.
• Equipment should be left outside the room and a gatekeeper assigned who will pass in what is needed.
  • The gatekeeper should have minimum level 2 PPE.

Resources

You may find this infographic from the Resuscitation Council useful.  For those of you that are my clients then I also have a flowchart available for download if you would like to get in touch if you haven’t received it already.

You may also find this blog useful where I’ve detailed the changes I’ve made to my training sessions in order to keep everyone as safe as possible.

I hope this answers your questions but if there’s anything else you would like to know please get in touch.