Obviously a horse**** recommendation.
I had a more elaborate version of twitter,
But they basically are strictly defining DEFIBRILLATING and CHEST COMPRESSIONS as NON-AEROSOLIZING PROCEDURES, and leaning on the seconds-matter mantra regarding defib’ing Vfib and initiating chest compressions, and saying for those two things, one should NOT delay for ANY PPE. If you read the full text, they go into detail that it is totally fine to do two minutes of chest compressions with NO mask on (we aren’t talking a 5 minute delay for a PAPR and a bunny suit a la first wave).
This is idiocy, in my professional opinion.
Yes defibrillating is likely minimally aerosolizing. You could convince me to apply pads and shock x 1 @ 360J without PPE, assuming no PPE is in the neighborhood and somehow I have a defibrillator.
Chest compressions… they are relying on some very weak literature basically claiming the vast majority of people undergoing chest compressions where the airway ISN’T actively managed are occluding their airways and thus it isn’t aerosolizing.
So I have THREE separate issues with this—>
(1) What happened in the room for the 10 minutes prior to code? You think.. maybe they were coughing, struggling, tachypneic, tripodding, or generally spreading a vast lingering aerosol of Omicron in the little room? Ergo, even walking into said room you are in trouble if unmasked?
(2) If you’ve never seen someone getting chest compressions gurgling and foaming and leaking secretions from their face, you clearly haven’t been in enough codes.
(3) Lets pretend they just drop dead of Vfib suddenly, they are in a clean room, and that doing compressions really creates no aerosol. The unmasked first-response ring doing compressions… you think they are going to sprint out of the room when anesthesia starts playing with the airway, when RT shoves a BVM on the patient’s face, or when a resident throws an NRB on the mouth at flush rate 02? Naw, its chaos and they will get exposed as the rest of the code team comes in.
I appreciate their… sticking to the “science”. But its bad advice. Here is my draft version—>
Immediate defibrillation and chest compressions can save lives.
Both likely causes relatively minimal aerosolization versus airway management.
In the case of a witnessed arrest, attempt to provide defib and compressions as quickly as possible, with minimal delay to apply PPE.
We recommend just a mask/gloves or N95/gloves to speed the initiation of chest compressions and defib
AS SOON AS POSSIBLE, a relief code team with full PPE should take over.
Better?