From paramedic feedback: more heart rhythms, cardioversion, chest injury protocols, and local epinephrine.
Rhythms
- Pulseless VT (
pvt): a share of sudden arrests start in it (Config.Physiology.pvtShare); it turns into VF
after pvtSeconds of no flow. Shockable like VF: the AED now advises a shock on VF and pulseless VT, the
manual defibrillator converts both. Bled out, hypoxic and tension arrests still start in PEA.
- Tachyarrhythmias with a pulse (
Config.Physiology.rhythms): VT, SVT and AF with a fast rate. Only
while knocked down (an unstable patient: he cannot be woken until it is converted). They come from VF / pVT
falling back after ROSC (postRoscVt), a bruised heart after a hard blunt chest hit (contusion), epinephrine
given with a pulse (complications), and the new cardiac call-out. VT with a pulse left alone loses its pulse
(vtArrest, then pulseless VT).
- The monitor draws them all (VT broad and regular, SVT narrow and very fast without P waves, AF irregular with a
fibrillating baseline); alarms
VFIB, VTACH, AFIB. HR goes up to 220 on the monitor.
Synchronised cardioversion: a SYNC key on the monitor. With SYNC on, white markers sit on the R waves and the
shock is timed on them: VT / SVT / AF convert by chance (rhythms.cardiovert: recommended energy per rhythm, half
the chance below it). SYNC on a normal (sinus) rhythm: a chest burn and rarely VF (complications,
syncSinusArrest). SYNC in cardiac arrest does not fire (care_err_sync_arrest), the charge stays. New default
energies 50 and 100 J (Config.Care.defib.energies). Amiodarone is now the right drug for VT with a pulse: no
complication, it may convert it (rhythms.amio).
Chest injuries (Config.Physiology.chest)
- A gunshot / stab wound of the torso (severity 2+) or a hard blunt hit to it (severity 3+, high energy) collapses
the lung on one side (pneumothorax). It builds up into a tension pneumothorax: slowly while the wound is
open, at full speed once it is sealed. Tension lowers SpO₂ and blood pressure and raises heart and breathing rate;
a conscious patient collapses, and at full tension the heart stops in PEA (obstructive arrest). In arrest the
ROSC odds stay near zero until the chest is decompressed.
- Breath sounds in the manual vitals: listen to both sides (clear / reduced / absent; late: the trachea shifts).
- Needle decompression (ALS bag, new supply
needle = 2): pick the right or left chest. On the tension side it
relieves it at once and stays in. On a side without a pneumothorax it is wasted, and with complications that
lung collapses (cx_needle_wrong). The needle shows on the chart (ND).
- The chest is saved with the patient (relog).
- Waking needs no tension pneumothorax (
care_err_wake_chest).
Local epinephrine (epi_local, uses an epinephrine ampoule): on a bleeding wound, no IV, also on a
conscious patient. That wound bleeds much less for drugs.localEpiSeconds (localEpiFactor; an artery, severity 4,
only a little: localEpiSevere). Not on burns, closed fractures, a wound that does not bleed, or in arrest.
Systemic epinephrine stays refused on a conscious patient.
Pocket guide: new chapters Chest injuries and Rhythms & cardioversion; AED / monitor steps mention
pulseless VT; the live plan suggests SYNC + energy for VT / SVT / AF, SYNC off in arrest, listening to the chest,
needle decompression on the silent side (both sides in traumatic arrest) and local epinephrine before TXA; two
new Mistakes. Practice: /emspractice cardiac (VT with a pulse: SYNC cardioversion or amiodarone) and
/emspractice chest (stab wound, tension builds up: listen, needle); arrest may start in pulseless VT.
Call-outs: new scenarios chest (stab wound with tension) and cardiac (VT / SVT / AF).
Config added. An older config.lua without these keys still runs (no pulseless VT, no chest model, no needle in the
bag); copy them in to get the features:
Physiology.pvtShare, pvtSeconds, rhythms, chest, rosc.shockPvt, rosc.cprBase.pvt, rosc.cprEpi.pvt,
drugs.localEpi*, complications.syncSinusArrest, complications.epiPulseVt, Kits.als.supplies.needle,
Care.durations.lungs / epi_local / needle, Missions.scenarios.chest / cardiac.