Pulseless Electrical Activity: Echocardiographic Explanation of a Perplexing Phenomenon.

ABSTRACT: Pulseless electrical activity (PEA) is considered an enigmatic phenomenon in resuscitation research and practice. Finding individuals with no consciousness or pulse but with continued electrocardiographic (EKG) complexes obviously raises the question of how they got there. The development of monitors that can display the underlying rhythm has allowed us to differentiate between VF, asystole, and PEA. Lack of clear understanding of the emergence of PEA has limited the research and development of interventions that might improve the low rates of survival typically associated with PEA. Over 30 years of studying and practicing resuscitation have allowed the authors to see a substantial rise in PEA with variable survival rates, based on the patients' illness spectrum and intensity of monitoring

SUBMITTER: Parish DC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10390303 | biostudies-literature | 2021

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature