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ACLS Medication Summary
Medications administered during a code depend on the cause of arrest, cardiac rhythm and patient’s response. The goal of treatment with medications is to reestablish and maintain cardiac function, correct hypoxemia, and suppress cardiac ectopics
Most Frequently Used Code Drugs
Drug Indication Adult Dosage
Amiodarone Ventricular Fibrillation (VF) Cardiac Arrest: 300mg
Pulseless Ventricular Tachycardia (VT) IV in 3-5 minutes (dilute
Ventricular Tachycardia (VT) to 20-30ml D5W).
Consider repeating
150mg IV in 3-5 minutes.
Max cumulative dose:
2.2g IV/24 hours.
Wide Complex
Amiodarone IVPB is obtained in Pharmacy Tachycardia (stable):
150mg (diluted)rapid
IV over first 10
minutes (15mg/min)
May repeat rapid
150mg dose every 10
minutes as needed
Slow infusion: 360
mg IV over 6 hours
(1mg/min)
Maintenance
infusion: 540mg IV
over 18 hours
(0.5mg/min)
Atropine Bradycardia Asystole or PEA: 1mg IV.
Asystole Repeat every 3-5
Pulseless electrical activity (PEA) minutes. Max total dose:
3 doses (3mg)
Bradycardia: 0.5 mg IV
every 3-5 minutes as
needed., max 0.04mg/kg
ETT: 2-3mg diluted in
10ml normal saline
Epinephrine Ventricular Fibrillation (VF) 1mg (10ml of 1:10,000
Pulseless VT solution) IV every 3-5
Asystole minutes. Follow each
Pulseless Electrical Activity (PEA) dose with 20ml N.S. IV
ETT: 2-3mg diluted in
10cc N.S.