Published
wait-- pea is pulseless electrical activity, and you want to know how to know whether your patient is pulseless? or am i missing something?
i guess i just want a quick way to tell without walking all the way into the room. for instance on my hourly rounds at night i look it, see that they're breathing, and ask if they need anything (if they're awake).
guess for these patients i'll just walk all the way in and check a pulse. nbd.
thanks for all that responded! :)
PEA, as others have noted, is characterized by a lack of pulse. Of course, they won't be breathing either. Note that EKG monitoring will not always tell you if you have PEA, which can look like a perfectly nice normal sinus rhythm.
I guess I just want a quick way to tell without walking all the way into the room.
That's pretty funny. If you can find a way to administer antibiotics from the doorway and deliver meal trays with your mind, let me know. :)
I think her question is very valid. If a person is in a room on a vent you are not constantly standing there with a hand on their pulse. If you just glance in the room and peek at the monitor all may look well when really it isnt'. Good rhythm on the monitor, still breathing...yep things look ok from a distance!
You will be able to tell because quickly the sat and bp will drop. People aren't in PEA too long before they are in asystole.
whitecat5000
45 Posts
So this might sound like a stupid question but . . .
how do you know your patient went into a PEA if he's on a vent?
We were told in school that one of the only ways to tell if they're having a PEA is if they stop breathing. . .
Maybe I'm just not thinking clearly about it?