Cardiac Arrest and Peri-arrest Care
Apply high-quality resuscitation, rhythm-specific treatment and post-arrest priorities while seeking reversible causes.
How to prepare for FRCEM SBA
Protect the full Emergency Medicine curriculum, prioritise the published item counts and practise the decisions expected of a clinician approaching independent practice.
Core concepts
Concept 1
Coordinate compressions, defibrillation, airway strategy, drug timing, reversible-cause treatment and team communication.
Exam cue: Minimise pauses, deliver indicated shocks promptly and address reversible causes such as hypoxia, thrombosis, tamponade, toxins or electrolyte disturbance.
Concept 2
Lead an algorithmic but cause-aware response, then optimise oxygenation, circulation, temperature strategy and definitive care after return of circulation.
Exam cue: Use rhythm analysis, capnography, focused ultrasound and context-specific tests without interrupting core resuscitation.
Risk pitfalls and guardrails
Allowing procedures, ultrasound or prolonged rhythm discussion to create harmful interruptions in chest compressions.
Guardrail: Do not select an option because it is technically true; select the one that best fits the patient's current physiology, evidence, urgency and decision point.
Choosing an answer that is generally true but does not fit the patient's physiology, urgency, evidence or current decision point.
Guardrail: Do not select an option because it is technically true; select the one that best fits the patient's current physiology, evidence, urgency and decision point.
Memory anchors
What frames decisions in cardiac arrest and peri-arrest care?
Coordinate compressions, defibrillation, airway strategy, drug timing, reversible-cause treatment and team communication.
Which cardiac arrest and peri-arrest care findings change urgency?
Minimise pauses, deliver indicated shocks promptly and address reversible causes such as hypoxia, thrombosis, tamponade, toxins or electrolyte disturbance.
How should investigation be planned in cardiac arrest and peri-arrest care?
Use rhythm analysis, capnography, focused ultrasound and context-specific tests without interrupting core resuscitation.
What makes management complete in cardiac arrest and peri-arrest care?
Lead an algorithmic but cause-aware response, then optimise oxygenation, circulation, temperature strategy and definitive care after return of circulation.
What common error should be avoided in cardiac arrest and peri-arrest care?
Allowing procedures, ultrasound or prolonged rhythm discussion to create harmful interruptions in chest compressions.
Checkpoint rule
Do the check-up only after you can summarize each concept in one sentence and identify one dangerous pitfall from memory.
Knowledge Check (after reading)
Short check-up to confirm understanding of this module.
Check-up Questions
A monitored patient collapses. The rhythm is ventricular fibrillation. What is the immediate priority?
A patient remains in ventricular fibrillation after the third shock. CPR has resumed. Which drug combination should now be given according to the adult advanced life-support algorithm?
Answer all questions to submit.
Next step personalized recommendations
Continue learning
Move forward only after this module is stable.
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