A 55-year-old woman on ICU develops a broad-complex tachycardia at 200 bpm. She is unresponsive (GCS 3) with no palpable pulse. The monitor shows what...

Question

A 55-year-old woman on ICU develops a broad-complex tachycardia at 200 bpm. She is unresponsive (GCS 3) with no palpable pulse. The monitor shows what appears to be VT. What is the correct immediate action?

Accepted Answer

This is pulseless VT - treat as cardiac arrest: commence CPR and deliver an unsynchronised shock (defibrillation) at 150-200J biphasic, following the standard VF/pVT ALS algorithm

Answer

Give IV amiodarone 300 mg

Answer

Perform a synchronised DC cardioversion

Answer

Give IV adenosine to differentiate VT from SVT

Answer

Perform a 12-lead ECG before any intervention

uk-fficm MCQ (SBA): Pulseless VT vs VT with Pulse

A 55-year-old woman on ICU develops a broad-complex tachycardia at 200 bpm. She is unresponsive (GCS 3) with no palpable pulse. The monitor shows what appears to be VT. What is the correct immediate action?