It’s always important to treat the patient’s symptoms, rather than rely on the ECG readout alone. Underlying and treatable causes for pulseless electrical activity include: 1. Pulmonary thrombosis 2. Coronary thrombosis 3. Tension pneumothorax 4. Cardiac tamponade 5. Hypovolemia 6. Hyperkalemia 7. Hypoxia 8. Hydrogen ion (acidosis) It’s important t...

A patient with PEA will be unconscious with no pulse or normal breathing. Pulseless electrical activity leads to a loss of cardiac output and discontinues blood supply to the brain. The skin may appear pallor due to a lack of oxygen in the blood. ACLS providers should make sure to check for a pulse at the carotid artery. They can also check for hea...

An ECG/EKG is capable of distinguishing pulseless electrical activity from other causes of cardiac arrest. The absence of a patient’s pulse confirms a clinical diagnosis of cardiac arrest. However, in PEA, there is no pulse with orderly cardiac electrical activity similar to normal sinus, which is not a typical cardiac arrest ECG rhythm like asysto...