Things You Need to Know About PEA

Pulseless electrical activity (PEA) is a kind of irregular heart rhythm, leading to a malfunction of the heart. The electrical activity is too weak to make your heart pump. This causes the heart to stop working. Without medical attention, PEA can be highly dangerous. Keep exploring the blog to learn more about PEA treatment ACLS. 

 

What is pulseless electrical activity?

Pulseless electrical activity (PEA) is a medical condition where your heart stops beating because the electrical activity in your heart is not strong enough. This fails to make your heart beat. When your heart stops, you go into cardiac arrest. Additionally, you no longer have a pulse. PEA is a ‘non shockable’ heart rhythm. In other words, even a defibrillator would not be able to correct it. When not treated well, PEA leads to sudden cardiac arrest within minutes.

 

How does pulseless electrical activity work?

During the onset of a heartbeat, a cluster of cells creates an electrical current. Then it spreads to other areas of your heart. As the current passes through the heart muscle, the muscle then reacts by flexing. This causes your heart to pump blood and to squeeze.

It is easy to detect the electrical current with the help of an examination known as an electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG). With the help of PEA, there’s no detectable electrical current; however, your heart is not strong enough to pump blood to the body.

 

What are the two different types of PEA?

Here are two different types of PEA:

1. Pseudo-PEA: This is a kind of PEA where the electrical activity in your heart squeezes your heart muscles. This moves some blood; however, it is not a proper heartbeat. Moreover, it is not strong enough to pump blood efficiently. Hence, you still do not have a pulse. As a pulse cannot be found, you must conduct an electrocardiogram (EKG) to identify the reduced electrical flow in the heart. According to a study in 2020, the incidence of pseudo-PEA is increasing more than ever before.
2. True PEA: This is another type of PEA where your heart has electrical activity, but your heart muscle does not react to it. The blood does not move at all, and there is no pulse.

PEA is a common irregular hearing rhythm that happens in connection with cardiac arrest. It also means that there is no pumping of blood into or out of the heart. You can learn more by reading the PEA algorithm ACLS. 

Read More: ACLS Cardiac Arrest Algorithm

 

What are the primary causes of PEA?

PEA occurs when the heart suffers a major trauma. According to a 2021 study, there is a significant percentage of PEA leading to loss of blood flow in the heart muscle. This is a result of blockage in a coronary artery. It can occur when a condition affects metabolism, respiration, and circulation, causing an abnormal heart rhythm to develop.

Here are a few possible causes of PEA:

1. High levels of acid in the bloodstream 
2. Dehydration (hypovolemia)
3. Body temperature drops below 95 degrees
4. Low levels of oxygen in the organs
5. Chest trauma
6. Cardiac tamponade
7. Heart toxins
8. The risk is higher among females and increases after the age of 70.

 

What are the symptoms of PEA?

The primary symptoms of PEA are the following:

1. No discernible pulse
2. Pauses in breathing
3. Electrical activity detectable on an EKG
4. No heartbeat is detectable even with a stethoscope.

Read More: ACLS Bradycardia Algorithm

 

How to diagnose PEA?

The only way to detect electrical activity is with the help of an electrocardiogram. A few other PEA tests that doctors use to diagnose the condition include the following:

1. Arterial blood gas analysis
2. Echocardiogram
3. Core body temperature
4. Serum electrolyte panel

 

What is the treatment for PEA ACLS?

The first treatment must be cardiopulmonary resuscitation, especially outside of a hospital setting. Continue CPR until media aid arrives.

If PEA happens inside a hospital, here are a few pulseless electrical activity treatment ACLS steps to follow:

1. CPR: This is a vital part of treatment inside and outside of a hospital environment.
2. Epinephrine: This is also known as adrenaline. It helps restore your heart to a normal rhythm.
3. Treating the cause of PEA: Secondary PEA refers to a specific cause, such as electrolyte problems. Treating this can help return your heart to a normal rhythm.

 

Is PEA a shockable rhythm?

Malfunctions in the heart’s electrical system create arrhythmias that are ‘shockable’. This means defibrillation, which can stop the rhythms by restoring your heart to a normal rhythm. These can turn into PEA; however, they are not shockable. CPR for pulseless electrical activity can get your switch to a shockable rhythm. If this happens, then it can lead to defibrillation. This has a chance to restore your heart to a normal rhythm.

 

Conclusion

PEA is thus life-threatening and can develop due to respiratory and cardiovascular problems. If you encounter someone experiencing PEA, you must call 911 at the earliest and start CPR right away. Preventing the condition from progressing to cardiac arrest may help save a person’s life. Hope the blog helps you lower the risk of the condition and offer PEA treatment ACLS effectively.