Abstract
Once cardiac arrest has occurred, the chances for neurologically intact recovery dramatically decline. While some types of cardiac arrest, mostly those of arrhythmogenic origin, can hardly be foreseen, the majority of cardiac arrests are preceded by clinical signs indicating the nearing cardiovascular collapse. In most patients, cardiac arrest is the final pathway of a gradual progression of symptoms. There are no clear cut-off values of such preterminal signs but rather an insidious trend of symptoms. It is essential to recognize these clinical signs as all of them must be addressed timely and adequately. A summary of clinical signs commonly preceding cardiac arrest is shown in Table 4.1.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsReference
Brunauer A, Koköfer A, Bataar O et al (2014) The arterial blood pressure associated with terminal cardiovascular collapse in critically ill patients: a retrospective cohort study. Crit Care 18:719
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2018 Springer International Publishing AG, part of Springer Nature
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Dünser, M.W., Dankl, D., Petros, S., Mer, M. (2018). Recognizing Preterminal Signs. In: Dünser, M., Dankl, D., Petros, S., Mer, M. (eds) Clinical Examination Skills in the Adult Critically Ill Patient . Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-77365-0_4
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-77365-0_4
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-77364-3
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-77365-0
eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)