Kendric Costa

V-TACH

Nursing intervention

The very first thing you need to do before you do anything else is check for a pulse. If your
patient even sort of, kind of, maybe, possibly looks like they could be in V-Tach, check for a pulse. If the
patient does not have a pulse this is called pulseless v-tach or pVT. This is concerning. After checking for
a pulse, make sure the patient is on a 3 or 5 lead cardiac monitor. If you do not have a 12-lead EKG/ECG,
get one quickly. But do not leave your patient, so call for help and ask for an EKG/ECG machine. If the
patient is in V-Tach per the 12-lead EKG/ECG, call for help, grab the crash cart, and place the patient on
the defibrillator. You will need multiple nurses in the room as well as at least one provider, preferably an
attending doctor. You will then follow the ACLS algorithm.

Medication

During the code the two medications that can be given is epinephrine and amiodarone. The
epinephrine is given as 1 mg every three minutes as many times as needed. As for amiodarone, this can
be given two times. The first dose is 300mg and the second dose is 150 mg, after the two doses are
given no more is allowed to be administered. Post V-tach and code most patients will be put on
antiarrhythmics. The two most popular prescribed are amiodarone and atenolol.