This is what it is about:

"Crash Cart
A crash cart is a cabinet containing equipment needed when a cardiac arrest occurs (heart stops beating). This is obviously a grave situation and requires immediate life saving steps. These are some of the items found on a crash cart:

Defibrillator - this is an electrical device with two paddles that are placed on your chest. It discharges electricity through your heart when a lethal rhythm is present. The goal is to shock the heart back to normal. "Lethal rhythms" include Ventricular Fibrillation (rapid, unsynchronized, uncoordinated heartbeat) and Ventricular Tachycardia (rapid heartbeat that prevents the heart from pumping properly). It can also be used in less dangerous rhythms to return the heart to a normal rhythm.



Endotracheal Intubation equipment - Endotracheal intubation is the procedure of placing a tube into someone's trachea (windpipe) when a person stops breathing or is not breathing adequately. The tube allows artificial respiration equipment to take over the job of breathing for the patient. The package includes different size tubes and a Laryngoscope - a special light with a flat metal piece to lift the tongue out of the way so that a tube can be placed into the trachea.



Central Vein Catheters - These are catheters (small tubes) placed in the large central veins (near the heart) so that medications and fluids can reach the heart and important organs quickly.
Cardiac drugs - During a cardiac arrest certain potent drugs are required to restart the heart or return it to a more stable rhythm.
The most common lethal arrhythmias present during a cardiac arrest are:
Ventricular Fibrillation - twitching of the ventricle (main chamber of the heart) but not an effective contraction that pumps blood out of the heart.
Ventricular Tachycardia - rapid contraction of the ventricle that produces insufficient blood flow out of the heart.
Asystole - total absence of electrical activity and therefore no contraction of the heart.
Pulseless Electrical Activity (P.E.A.) - electrical activity of the heart but inadequate contraction of the heart
Bradycardia - various rhythms that cause the heart to beat so slowly that not enough blood is pumped out of the heart.
Some of the drugs that are used to treat these arrhythmias are:



Epinephrine - used in Ventricular Fibrillation, Pulseless Ventricular Tachycardia, Asystole, P.E.A. and sometimes for Bradycardia.
Atropine - used in Asystole, Bradycardia and sometimes in P.E.A.
Lidocaine - used in Ventricular Fibrillation and Ventricular Tachycardia."

In Spanish, you call it "carro hospitalario".

As for your second question, you're right: in fact, it means the department, but if you call anaesthesia, it seems logic that an anaesthesist will show up...

HTH,

Serge L.

Crash cart es una mesilla con ruedas que tiene un defibrilador más un ambú más otras 'herrmaientas' que se utilizan para la resucitación. Tambíén tienes las medicaciones para la resucitación (bicarb, atroppjna, etc.) a mano.

"-Polly, llama a anestesi y trae el equipo móvil (coche) de resucitación"

Suerte,

JL

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Note added at 2002-02-20 22:46:13 (GMT)
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En el link...página 8....

Polly, llama a anestesia y trae el carrito de equipo médico.

A crash cart is a cabinet containing equipment needed when a cardiac arrest occurs (heart stops beating).

Obviously a grave situation and requires immediate life saving steps. These are some of the items found on a crash cart:

Defibrillator, Endotracheal Intubation equipment, Central Vein Catheters, Cardiac drugs.

Suerte