🫀 Cardiac Arrest Drill
Code Blue. Start CPR. Defibrillate. Call for help. Know where the crash cart is — and how to use it.
Machines fail. Water treatment has limitations. Prescriptions can be wrong. Patients hide symptoms.
No protocol, checklist, or alarm can guarantee patient safety.
Watch the patient, not just the machine. The patient's face, voice, and behavior tell you more than any alarm.
Don't assume. Question every reading, every setting, every symptom. If something feels wrong — it probably is.
Minutes matter. In dialysis emergencies, delay = death. Know what to do — and do it now.
Trust, but verify. Every machine, every concentrate, every setting. The machine will not protect the patient — you must.
Be ready for anything. Patients crash without warning. Dialyzer rupture. Air embolism. Cardiac arrest. It can happen today.
The patient is your best alarm. If they say "I feel weird" — stop and investigate. They know their body better than any machine.
Checklists save lives. Never skip a step. Every pre-dialysis check, every machine test, every verification. Complacency is the enemy.
No one can do it alone. Call for help early. Speak up when you see something wrong. Patients die when teams don't communicate.
Early warning signs: confusion, restlessness, nausea, cramps, hypotension. Act before the patient crashes.
Hypokalemia: Flattened T-waves, U-waves, prolonged QT. Hyperkalemia: Peaked T-waves, widened QRS, sine wave. Your patient's life depends on your reading.
Know your drugs: IV potassium, calcium gluconate, sodium bicarbonate, epinephrine. When the crash comes, there is no time to read the label.
Dialysis patients arrest without warning. Be ready to start CPR and use the defibrillator within seconds.
Pink/red dialysate = HEMOLYSIS. Stop dialysis immediately. Do not return blood. This is a life-threatening emergency.
Fistula, graft, or catheter — know how to manage bleeding, clotting, and infection. The access is the patient's lifeline.
Code Blue. Start CPR. Defibrillate. Call for help. Know where the crash cart is — and how to use it.
Stop dialysis immediately. Do not return blood. Clamp the lines. Disconnect the patient. Notify the physician.
Clamp the venous line. Stop the blood pump. Place patient in Trendelenburg position on the left side. Call for emergency support.
Blood leak alarm. Stop the blood pump. Do not return blood. Clamp all lines. Assess blood loss and prepare for transfusion.
Suspected electrolyte error. Stop dialysis. Check potassium level. Prepare emergency medications. ECG monitoring is essential.
Fire in the unit. R.A.C.E. — Rescue, Alarm, Contain, Extinguish. Know the emergency exits and fire extinguisher locations.
The machine does not know the patient. It does not know if the concentrate is correct.
It does not know if the patient has diarrhea. It does not know if the UF target is wrong.
The machine will follow your instructions — even if they kill the patient.
The nurse is the guardian. The nurse is the last line of defense.
Dialysis is not safe. Accidents will happen unexpectedly.
No machine, protocol, or checklist can replace the trained, vigilant nurse.
Vigilance.
Critical thinking.
Rapid action.
These are your weapons. Use them.