Airway and cardiac procedures

Airway manoeuvres, bag-mask ventilation, supraglottic devices, NIV, recording a 12-lead ECG, cardioversion, pacing and pericardiocentesis.

10 pages

• Bag-mask ventilationA face mask is sealed over the nose and mouth and a hand-squeezed bag pushes oxygen into the…
• Defibrillation and synchronised cardioversionAn electric shock through pads on the chest resets the heart's rhythm, in cardiac arrest or in a…
• Opening the airway: head tilt, jaw thrust and simple adjunctsSimple hand movements and small plastic tubes lift the tongue off the back of the throat so air…
• Peak flow and inhaler techniqueA small meter measures how fast a person can blow air out, and good inhaler technique gets the…
• PericardiocentesisA needle and thin tube drain fluid from the sac around the heart when it squeezes the heart or…
• Recording a 12-lead ECGTen sticky electrodes on the arms, legs and chest record the heart's electrical activity from…
• Starting non-invasive ventilationA tight mask and a machine push air into the lungs to help a tired patient breathe, without…
• Supraglottic airway devicesA tube with a soft cuff is slid blindly into the throat until it sits over the voice box, so the…
• Transcutaneous pacingPads on the chest send regular electrical pulses that make a very slow heart beat at a safe…
• Vagal manoeuvres and carotid sinus massageSimple actions such as straining or pressing gently on the neck slow the heart and can stop some…

A to Z

• A
• B
• C
• D
• E
• F
• H
• I
• L
• N
• O
• P
• R
• S
• T
• U
• V

← Clinical skills

Educational content; it does not replace supervised hands-on training, your institution's protocols or a prescriber's order. A procedure is learnt with a teacher and done only once you are trained to do it.

Representative model, for educational purposes only.