The crash trolleys are one of the most important equipment in any medical facility. Here are some facts about the basic contents of these trolleys, their use in the medical world and how to maintain them perfectly:

When Are Crash Trollies Required and Who Needs Them?

Anyone who has worked in a medical facility must be aware that unexpected emergencies are the very fabric of the medical world. The only way tobe preparedfor these situations is keepingsome of the basic equipment required during these emergencies at hand always. This helps in saving lives and thus minimizing the negative results. Therefore, an emergency / crash trolley is required.

This trolley contains all the equipment and medication that arenecessaryto treat a critical patient for the first thirty minutes in case of anemergency. It is literally required when a patient’s medical condition “crashed” unexpectedly, thus getting its name. Crash trolleys and their contents may differ from hospital to hospital and region to region but there are some equipment and medication that are common everywhere. Some of the most important ones have been mentioned below:       

Basic Contents of a Typical Emergency Cart:

• Medicines that are used in the treatment of cardiac arrests such as Amiodarone and Epinephrine.
• Cardizem, Adenosine, Atropine, and Beta Blockers (generally Lopressor) which are medications that are used to treat cardiac dysthymias.
• Emergency and Crash Trolley also contains basic airways equipment such as nasal and oral airways, bag valve masks, nasal cannulas, and oxygen masks.
• It also contains intravenous access equipment, also known as intraosseous such as IV tubing, IV fluid, and angiocaths. If the facility has opted to use intravenous access for medications a needle and drill will also be among the contents of the trolley, in case of emergency.
• Medications that are used in the treatment of allergic reactions such as Benadryl, Solumedrol, and Epi Pens. It will also contain Aspirin 81 mg PO and Nitro-glycerine spray and/or 0.4 mg tablets.
• The monitor equipment and a defibrillator or AED.

While these are some of the most basic emergency cart equipment, others may be included if the medical facility specializes in certain medicinal practices. Some of this special equipment has been named below:

• King Airways may be present in the cart in special circumstances. This generally happens in facilities that do not have anaesthesia personnel or the patient has a difficult airway.
• If anaesthesia personnel are present in the said facility, the cart or trolley will have endotracheal intubation equipment.
• It will also have additional antiarrhythmic. This is especially found in offices of physicians or facilities where cardiac stress testing is done.
• Lastly, Narcan which is used to reverse effects of narcotics. This will generally be found in facilities that administer sedatives and narcotics to patients for medical needs.

Some Crash Trolley Maintenance Tips

Here are some maintenance tips to ensure that problem is not faced by any medical personnel during an emergency:

• The expiration date on all the medication must be regularly checked and those that are past the date must be removed and replaced promptly.
• The battery charge of the monitor and the AED must be checked and documented.
• The expiration date of the defibrillation pads must also be checked regularly.

The contents of the emergency / crash trolley can make the difference between life and death of a patient. Hence, it is important that the contents of the cart be in the correct working order always. There can be nothing more tragic than an equipment not beingusedor reached at timefor whatsoever reason, in an emergency.