Crash cart

A crash cart or code cart (crash trolley in UK medical jargon) or "MAX cart" is a set of trays/drawers/shelves on wheels used in hospitals for transportation and dispensing of emergency medication/equipment at site of medical/surgical emergency for life support protocols (ACLS/ALS) to potentially save someone's life. The cart carries instruments for cardiopulmonary resuscitation and other medical supplies while also functioning as a support litter for the patient.

The crash cart was originally designed and patented by ECRI Institute founder, Joel J. Nobel, M.D., while a surgical resident at Philadelphia's Pennsylvania Hospital in 1965. MAX helped enhance hospital's efficiency in emergencies by enabling doctors and nurses to save time, thereby increasing the chances of saving a life.

The contents and organization of a crash cart vary from hospital to hospital, country to country, and specialty to specialty, but typically contain the tools and drugs needed to treat a person in or near cardiac arrest or another life-threatening condition. These include but are not limited to:

Monitor/defibrillators, suction devices, and bag valve masks (BVMs) of different sizes
Advanced cardiac life support (ACLS) drugs such as epinephrine, atropine, amiodarone, lidocaine, sodium bicarbonate, dopamine, and vasopressin
First line drugs for treatment of common problems such as: adenosine, dextrose, epinephrine for IM use, naloxone, nitroglycerin, and others
Drugs for rapid sequence intubation: succinylcholine or another paralytic, and a sedative such as etomidate, propofol or midazolam; endotracheal tubes and other intubating equipment
Drugs for peripheral and central venous access
Electronic metronome to provide standardized auditory cadence cues during CPR
Pediatric equipment (common pediatric drugs, intubation equipment, etc.)
Other drugs and equipment as chosen by the facility

Hospitals typically have internal intercom codes used for situations when someone has suffered a cardiac arrest or a similar potentially fatal condition outside of the emergency department or intensive care unit (where such conditions already happen frequently and do not require special announcements). When such codes are given, hospital staff and volunteers are expected to clear the corridors, and to direct visitors to stand aside as the crash cart and a team of physicians, pharmacists and nurses may come through at any moment. (See Code Blue.)

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.