ACLS Drugs Overview

Study Notes

ACLS Drugs Overview

Adenosine: Used for PSVT; administer 6 mg IV initially, increase to 12 mg if needed, maximum of 12 mg per dose.
Amiodarone: For pulseless VT or VF; initial dose of 300 mg IV push, followed by 150 mg if required. Maintenance is 1 mg/min for 6 hours, then 0.5 mg/min for 18 hours.
Atropine: In cardiac arrest, give 1 mg IV every 3-5 minutes, max total of 3 mg. For symptomatic bradyarrhythmia, 0.5 mg IV every 3-5 minutes. Dosage for heart block and acetylcholinesterase inhibitor poisoning varies.
Calcium Chloride: For acute symptomatic ionized hypocalcemia or hyperkalemia, administer 500-1000 mg IV, repeat as necessary. Hypocalcemic tetany: 1000 mg IV over 10-30 minutes, can repeat after 6 hours.
Dextrose: Treat hypoglycemia with 10-25 g IV, or 10-20 g orally; repeat in 10 minutes if symptoms persist.
Epinephrine: For asystole/pulseless arrest and pulseless VT/VF, give 1 mg IV every 3-5 minutes until return of spontaneous circulation. For symptomatic bradycardia, IV infusion of 1-10 mcg/min; titrate to effect.
Isoproterenol: Continuous IV infusion for bradyarrhythmias, AV nodal block, or refractory torsade de pointes, at a rate of 2-10 mcg/min.
Lidocaine: For antiarrhythmia, initial 1-1.5 mg/kg IV bolus, may repeat 0.5-0.75 mg/kg every 5-10 minutes up to 3 mg/kg. Continuous infusion of 1-4 mg/minute.
Magnesium Sulfate: IM for mild deficiency: 1 g every 6 hours. Severe deficiency up to 250 mg/kg over 4 hours. For symptomatic deficiency, 1-2 g IV over 5-60 minutes.
Procainamide: Titrated to response; initial loading dose of 15-18 mg/kg slow infusion or 100 mg at 50 mg/min every 5 minutes, up to 1 g total. Maintenance infusion of 1-4 mg/min.
Sodium Bicarbonate: In cardiac arrest, initial 1 mEq/kg/dose IV. For metabolic acidosis, calculate dosage based on patient's base deficit or administer 2-5 mEq/kg IV infusion.
Vasopressin: For pulseless arrest, administer 40 units IV or IO to replace epinephrine doses. For diabetes insipidus, 5-10 units IM or SubQ 2-4 times/day.
Verapamil: For SVT, initial dose of 2.5-5 mg IV over 2 minutes; potential second dose of 5-10 mg after 15 minutes if needed; max total dose is 20 mg.

Description

This quiz covers essential medications used in Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support (ACLS). Learn about dosing, indications, and administration for key drugs like Adenosine, Amiodarone, and Epinephrine. Test your knowledge on the critical interventions required for cardiac emergencies.