How long you push emergency drugs during codes

Editorial Team / Moderator · Apr 15, 2017

Was moved to the ER forum from somewhere else ---

Yes, for a reason.

~Mi Vida Loca~RN, ASN, RN · Apr 15, 2017

We're in the ER forum, so ... probably ER. But newer, if I had to guess. ER is typically fertile ground for codes!

In all my ER's we have always had RSI boxes also and those meds were not in the code carts.

I am not sure about ICU though because they had their own stuff. Although I was very shocked in one hospital twice that when we had to go to the ICU for 2 different codes called everyone was running around to get the various supplies when needed and the tech and I kept saying "it's in the code cart" :|

It was also ER doc and ER nurse and ER tech that responded to hospital codes in a couple of the hospitals I worked. Will never forget us running up 6 flights of stairs once to have the patient talking because the nurse called a code and didn't check her leads. :| :| Other hospitals I have been at had a Rapid Response team that would show up for hospital codes and in the ER we obviously never paged them out because we were the code team.

The thing I loved most about moving and traveling was to see how different things were in various places.

bgxyrnf, MSN, RN · Apr 29, 2017

Was just wondering how long you push emergency drugs for during codes. Etomidate, sux, ketamine, amiodarone, bicarbonate, calcium, Epi,vasopressin? Any other main ones I'm missing. Thanks

How long you push emergency meds? You keep pushing meds for as long as the resuscitative effort hasn't ended with either (a) ROSC or (b) pronouncement of death.

If the patient has a shockable rhythm, had early CPR, and isn't saddled with severe morbidities, that can be quite a long time... 30+ minutes, easily.

If the patient is a traumatic arrest... it won't be long... if at all.

If the patient is in PEA for no known reason, it'll last for a few rounds of meds, ideally at least long enough to get some lab values back.