A 40-year-old woman has a cardiac arrest during general anaesthesia for emergency appendicectomy. The arrest rhythm is PEA. According to the Resuscita...

Question

A 40-year-old woman has a cardiac arrest during general anaesthesia for emergency appendicectomy. The arrest rhythm is PEA. According to the Resuscitation Council UK, what specific cause must be immediately considered in perioperative cardiac arrest?

Accepted Answer

Anaesthetic causes - hypoxia (check ventilation/ETT position), drug error or overdose (e.g. local anaesthetic toxicity, opioid overdose, suxamethonium-induced hyperkalaemia), anaphylaxis to induction agents or antibiotics, and tension pneumothorax from central line insertion - in addition to the standard 4Hs and 4Ts

Answer

Myocardial infarction only

Answer

Only pulmonary embolism

Answer

Only pneumothorax

Answer

Perioperative cardiac arrest has no specific causes different from ward arrests

uk-fficm MCQ (SBA): Perioperative Cardiac Arrest

A 40-year-old woman has a cardiac arrest during general anaesthesia for emergency appendicectomy. The arrest rhythm is PEA. According to the Resuscitation Council UK, what specific cause must be immediately considered in perioperative cardiac arrest?