REBEL EM – Emergency Medicine Blog
Health & Fitness:Medicine
REBEL Cast Ep126: Should We Not Be Recommending Small Adult BVMs in OHCA?
Background: The holy grail of outcomes in OHCA is survival with good neurologic outcome. The only interventions proven to increase this outcome are high quality CPR and defibrillation in shockable rhythms. Ventilation is also an important component of resuscitation in OHCA. Excess minute ventilation can adversely affect hemodynamics due to increased intrathoracic pressure (i.e. decreased venous return). Additionally, low CO2 levels from hyperventilation can lead to cerebral vasoconstriction which could lead to worsened secondary brain injury.
Most organizations recommend adults to be ventilated with tidal volumes of 500 to 600mL/breath during ongoing CPR. Large adult BVMs can have maximum tidal volumes of ≈1500mL and deliver about 750mL per one handed ventilation. Simulation studies have shown that health care professionals often provide minute ventilation well above these recommended ranges.
One of the recommendations from many experts to mitigate the perceived risk of large adult BVMs is using smaller adult BVMs. This change would result in decreasing the maximum volume from 1500 to 1000mL and an expected delivered tidal volume from 750 to 450mL/breath (much more inline with recommended ranges). However, evidence that this approach makes is difference is lacking.
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Paper: Snyder BD et al. Association of Small Adult Ventilation Bags with Return of Spontaneous Circulation in Out of Hospital Cardiac Arrest. Resuscitation 2023. PMID: 37805062
Clinical Question: Is large adult BVM or small adult BVM associated with more ROSC in adult patients treated with advanced airway placement for nontraumatic OHCA?
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