Stabilizing a critically ill patient requires effective co-ordinated interventions.
The first hour is critical. The longer it takes to fix key problems, the more the patient’s body is damaged.
The ABCD3E3 PITCHER mnemonic is my personal guide to remind me of how to stabilize a patient with critically ill patient with multiple organ dysfunction. It incorporates the Universal Resuscitation Algorithm (ABCDE) and seven further priorities that I feel need to be addressed for all critically ill patients in the first hour. Specific therapy of the patient’s initiating pathology should be added to these interventions.
The chart brought up by the link below summarizes the goals for first-hour stabilization of a critically ill adult patient who is not in cardiac arrest.
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