Which rhythms are considered shockable in adult CPR?

Which rhythms are considered shockable in adult CPR?

• A. Ventricular fibrillation (VF) and pulseless ventricular tachycardia (VT).
• B. Asystole and pulseless electrical activity (PEA).
• C. Atrial fibrillation with rapid ventricular response.
• D. Normal sinus rhythm.

Answer: (A)

In adult CPR, defibrillation is used for rhythms that are pulseless and not producing an effective heartbeat. The rhythms that respond to defibrillation are ventricular fibrillation, where the heart quivers without a coordinated beat, and pulseless ventricular tachycardia, where the rate is fast but the pulse is absent. Defibrillation can reset the electrical activity to allow a pulse to resume. Asystole and pulseless electrical activity show little or no organized electrical activity or no pulse, so a shock isn’t helpful and the focus is on CPR and medications. Atrial fibrillation with rapid ventricular response isn’t a shockable rhythm in this arrest setting, and normal sinus rhythm isn’t something that would be shocked.

In adult CPR, defibrillation is used for rhythms that are pulseless and not producing an effective heartbeat. The rhythms that respond to defibrillation are ventricular fibrillation, where the heart quivers without a coordinated beat, and pulseless ventricular tachycardia, where the rate is fast but the pulse is absent. Defibrillation can reset the electrical activity to allow a pulse to resume. Asystole and pulseless electrical activity show little or no organized electrical activity or no pulse, so a shock isn’t helpful and the focus is on CPR and medications. Atrial fibrillation with rapid ventricular response isn’t a shockable rhythm in this arrest setting, and normal sinus rhythm isn’t something that would be shocked.