So I finished my Advanced Cardiac Life Support recert last week, but there are still some things I wanted to review.
As I went through the ACLS manual I was reminded that for Torsades de Pointes, we use defibrillation because in polymorphic VT there is no place for the monitor to fix on for cardioversion. And Dr. Farkas also reminds us of this in his podcast. Dr Farkas provides us with awesome resources on Torsades.
Here is the link to IBCC chapter & cast: Torsades de Pointes November 21, 2018 by Dr. Josh Farkas. The link is to the podcast and it is best to listen to the podcast first. Dr. Farkas states:
Torsades de pointes is an uncommon cause of cardiac arrest. It is generally quite treatable, but if treated inadequately it will often recur (in some cases leading to repeated salvos of ventricular tachycardia, one form an electrical storm). A structured approach incorporating a pre-emptive protocoled magnesium infusion is generally quite effective.
After you’ve listened to the podcast link above, then go to Dr. Farkas’ Internet Book Of Critical Care Chapter on Torsade de Pointes.
Here is the chart from the chapter [But review the whole chapter as it is awesome!]:
