Post-Arrest Management: Practical Aspects for Bedside Care in the ICU

 

Program Description

This course provides a practical, bedside-focused overview of post–cardiac arrest care, emphasizing management strategies in the ICU. Led by Dr. Benjamin Abella, a leader in resuscitation science, the session translates current American Heart Association guidelines into actionable clinical practice. Key topics include post–cardiac arrest syndrome, targeted temperature management (TTM), neuroprognostication, early clinical decision-making, and multidisciplinary protocol implementation. The course is designed to support clinicians and care teams in optimizing outcomes through structured, evidence-informed, and protocol-driven care.

Educational Objectives:

• Address the perception that post–cardiac arrest patients rarely recover by reviewing evidence demonstrating that meaningful neurologic recovery is achievable particularly in patients with witnessed arrest, bystander CPR, and shorter time to ROSC.
• Explain the limitations of early neurologic assessment, emphasizing that recovery of consciousness often requires 3–5 days (or longer) and that early bedside exams are not reliable for prognostication.
• Review the safety and clinical role of targeted temperature management (33–36°C), highlighting its low complication rates and the generally mild, manageable nature of associated adverse effects.
• Reinforce that treatment decisions should not be based on age alone, but rather on overall functional status, comorbidities, and potential for meaningful recovery.
• Highlight the importance of precision temperature control using device-based systems to support consistent, protocol-driven post–cardiac arrest care.

Audience:

This course is for Physicians of all specialties, Advanced Practice Providers, Educators, Nurses, Rapid Response Teams and Critical Care Committees who are involved in post resuscitation care and the care of neurocritical patients

• Physicians
• Nurses
• APPs
• Pharmacists
• Program Coordinators
• EMS
• Researchers
• Students

Specialties:

• Resuscitation
• Emergency Medicine
• Neurology
• Critical Care
• Cardiology