Cardiopulmonary arrest (CPA) is the sudden loss of effective circulation and breathing: the dog is unresponsive, apneic or gasping, and has no effective cardiac output. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) aims to restore spontaneous circulation, but in referral and emergency hospitals only about 4% to 7% of dogs that undergo CPR leave the hospital alive.
Key facts
Cardiopulmonary arrest at a glance- Species and system: dog (guidelines cover dogs and cats); cardiovascular and respiratory.
- Recognition: unresponsive and apneic (or agonal breathing) means start CPR now; do not try to feel a pulse first.
- Basic life support: 100-120 compressions/min in uninterrupted 2-minute cycles; 10 breaths/min once intubated; 30:2 if not intubated.
- Rhythms: most arrests are non-shockable (asystole, pulseless electrical activity); ventricular fibrillation and pulseless ventricular tachycardia are shockable.
- Key drugs: epinephrine 0.01 mg/kg or vasopressin 0.8 U/kg IV/IO every 3-5 minutes; atropine 0.04 mg/kg once; high-dose epinephrine is no longer recommended.
- Monitoring: optimize CPR to an end-tidal CO2 (ETCO2) of at least 18 mm Hg.
What's inside
14 sections in the full guide- Key facts
- How the NAVLE tests this
- Cause and pathophysiology
- Clinical signs and recognition
- Basic life support
- Diagnosis and monitoring during CPR
- Advanced life support: drugs and defibrillation
- Differential diagnoses
- Treatment and management after ROSC
- Prevention
- Prognosis
- Quick review
- Test yourself
- References
The full guide also has 7 tables, 2 figures, 3 self-test questions and 13 references, available to NAVLE members.
Read the full study guide
The full guide is part of every NAVLE plan, with diagnosis and treatment tables, figures, a quick review and self-test questions. Start a free trial to try the question bank, or log in if you are already a member.