SIMULATED CARDIAC ARRESTS FOR MONITORING QUALITY OF IN-HOSPITAL RESUSCITATION

To improve monitoring of the quality of resuscitation after cardiac arrest staff performance in 47 simulated cardiac arrests was assessed. The exercise revealed many unsuspected deficiencies. Nurses did not apply mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, use the hand-held defibrillator, or give supplementary oxygen while awaiting the arrival of the arrest team; the availability of different models of defibrillators led to confusion and delay in …