best way to prep for acls, reading ekg's?

[bulldog]

So waht's the most time efficient way to prepare for acls as well as read the arrhtyhmia patterns on ekg? I've got copy of the aha 250 pager on acls...but not sure what to focus on in reading it. any good sources out there for preparation, particularly in identifying EKGs of various arrhtyhmia patterns? thanks.

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[colbgw02]

So waht's the most time efficient way to prepare for acls as well as read the arrhtyhmia patterns on ekg? I've got copy of the aha 250 pager on acls...but not sure what to focus on in reading it. any good sources out there for preparation, particularly in identifying EKGs of various arrhtyhmia patterns? thanks.

if you want to read EKGs for the hell of it or because you are going into medicine, then great, but don't do it for acls. i wouldn't read or prepare anything; just be able to tell the difference between wide and narrow complex tachycardias, and then if it's narrow, is it regular or irregular...

acls is something to pass, not something at which to excel, imho. you just have to pass the 'supercode', and then every other code for the rest of your life can be open-book. i suggest purchasing a copy of the acls spiral-bound acls algorithm book and carrying it in your white coat. it comes in handy on your first few codes until you get things down.

 

[AJM]

Don't bother reading the book. Just learn the algorithms and the meds you give for the different arrhythmias. The algorithms in particular you should become familiar with are:

Tachycardia - wide complex vs narrow complex and irregular vs regular
Pulseless VT/VF
PEA
Bradycardia
Asystole

They also spend a fair amount of time on ACS and stroke, so just become familiar with those pathways as well.

But you don't really have to do any advance preparation - they'll go over everything you need to know in the class. Also - for your book, make sure you have the new ACLS version. They made a few changes this year, and I didn't think that the new book had come out for it yet (I just recertified a couple of weeks ago and we still got the old book). The little pocket ACLS book is out in the new version, though, and has all the algorithms you need in a pretty easy-to-use format.

 

[Winged Scapula]

Just do the pretest; read the parts that you don't understand and show up to class. They will coach you through the exam and unless you are on a Code team or a rotation where you use it a lot, you will promptly forget most of it.😀

 

[AJM]

Just do the pretest; read the parts that you don't understand and show up to class. They will coach you through the exam and unless you are on a Code team or a rotation where you use it a lot, you will promptly forget most of it.😀

Unfortunately, I have to use the ACLS protocols just about on a daily basis, so I pretty much know them cold. Makes recertification really easy -- my last recertification course involved a bunch of us pulm/cc folks just discussing the reasons for various interventions listed in the protocol rather than any algorithm review. (the class was obviously run by our department). It was pretty interesting until the 4 fellows there, myself included, started getting pimped by the attendings in the class on the data the AHA used to decide on the changes to this year's protocols. 🙁 The whole course and test only took about two hours in total, though, so overall it was quite painless. 🙂

But yeah - you'll forget it all, and then will have to relearn it once you start the ICU or are on a code team.

 

[timtye78]

As an anesthesiology resident, the philosophy we are taught, clinically and in our national society's opinion, we are not only supposed to master ACLS, but be able to teach it, and especially apply it.

'ACLS is something only to pass' Frankly I take offense at any MD/DO who doesn't care about it. As a physician in the room, wherever you may be, sipping carbernet at a steakhouse, or in the ED at 3 am in podunkville, and someone falls to the floor, a baby turns blue, heart rate goes from 100 to 0, etc........
The people in the room will turn their eyes to you...and expect you to do
SOMETHING....are you comfortable with being one of those in the room who slide to the back of the crowd as someone jumps in...acting so proud/interested-just because you WATCH?

If you dont know/dont care about lifesaving...get the hell out of the way in a code..sorry but thats the way I feel about it.

Happy note: PLEASE -and I dont care what your specialty is, grab someone(ER doc, intensivist, pulm, Anes,etc) and try to learn the basics about intubating, the basics about mask ventilation, and learn how to slap a defibrillator on someones chest for crying out loud if you want to be called doctor.....now I am going to review acls myself yes I am getting down OFF the soapbox! LOL