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Resuscitation phase forms an important part of medical emergencies. It deals with all those activities that may save a patient's life in the most crucial moments when a full-fledged life support system may not be readily available. Resuscitation is a kind of first-aid emergency and demands good experience and expertise.
Concept of Resuscitation Phase
Resuscitation treatment is given usually for cardiac arrests or sudden inefficient pumping of heart. The treatment is just a temporary measure and not a permanent cure for supply of oxygen and blood in proper quantities to the heart. In most of the cases, primary survey resuscitation is given for breathing problem. The process is vital for restoring or maintaining proper levels of oxygen and blood in the body and enabling the heart to pump normally.
Medication is usually effective when a person is in a state of breathing sufficiently and consistently. Shortage of oxygen may lead to over-stressing of heart causing sudden death. Thus, resuscitation phase has to be undergone carefully and under expert medical supervision. Resuscitation can be done in a number of ways and depends upon the availability of shock equipments and the condition of patient.
 Phase of resuscitation is a step-wise process of providing oxygen to a patient by constantly monitoring his condition. Quick decisions needs to be taken and apt measures should be implemented immediately to increase the chances of survival of the patient. It is not just the proper supply of oxygen and blood that matters during resuscitation. Some people may suffer from heavy bleeding along with the chances of infections in the injured areas. External bleeding is easy to control as compared to internal bleeding and the latter needs to be treated by emergency surgical methods. Laparotomies, thoracotomies and craniotomies are some of the common surgical methods to control internal bleeding in the vital organs like abdomen, chest and skull respectively.
Most patients requiring resuscitation suffer from blood pressure issues. Hence, phase of resuscitation also includes maintaining proper pressure of blood and taking all the necessary measures from preventing the pressure to increase or decrease suddenly or frequently.
Resuscitation Phase in Detail
The first and foremost step of resuscitation is to ensure that the victim is moved to a safe and clean area. Provision of ample oxygen is extremely vital for better outputs of resuscitation and thus, avoids taking the patient to a closed or congested area. Attempt to interact with the patient if possible and check his response. That will give you a clear idea of the severity of situation. Ask for help instantly if the situation is difficult to handle.
Rather than focusing on just the supply of oxygen, keep a track of other vital aspects like the blood pressure, injuries and infections issues that may arise or have already aroused in the patient. Calling resuscitation team or medical emergency team is extremely necessary to tackle the problems within a short period of time. Calling for ambulance is the first and foremost step to be taken to ensure that the victim gets urgent and enough medical attention.
If the patient doesn't respond to this basic measures, call for expert assistance (usually available in hospitals) and brief them about the condition of the victim. It becomes time-consuming to reassess the patient for the possible health issues that may have aroused or are likely to arise, thus, keeping a note of observations as soon as the resuscitation attempt begins is extremely important.
Chances of spinal injuries in cases of accidents cannot be ignored. If you suspect that the person might be suffering from spinal damage, turn him onto his back and clear the airway by lifting his chin and tilting his head. Monitor the response of the patient and observe whether he is able to breathe normally. This all should be done in less than 10 seconds. The patient should be observed for three main things simultaneously- blood pressure, pulse-rate and heart-beat rate. Abnormality in any of the three aspects should be addressed urgently.
If the patient responds fairly well, give him chest compressions followed by ventilations. This decision should be taken only by experts and experienced personnel in the field of secondary phase resuscitation. Pattern of resuscitation may differ from person to person and depends on the kind of injuries he is suffering from.
Resuscitation phase is a systematic procedure and governed by written rules and protocols. Most of the countries have their own pattern of resuscitation and the hospitals or other medical institutions falling within their ambit need to follow these protocols strictly. Duration of resuscitation is to be decided by the doctors responsible and proper availability of emergency equipments should be given top priority.
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