Treatable conditions associated with cardiac arrest

Condition	Common associated clinical settings
Acidosis	Diabetes, diarrhea, drug overdose, renal dysfunction, sepsis, shock
Anemia	Gastrointestinal bleeding, nutritional deficiencies, recent trauma
Cardiac tamponade	Post-cardiac surgery, malignancy, post-myocardial infarction, pericarditis, trauma
Hyperkalemia	Drug overdose, renal dysfunction, hemolysis, excessive potassium intake, rhabdomyolysis, major soft tissue injury, tumor lysis syndrome
Hypokalemia*	Alcohol abuse, diabetes mellitus, diuretics, drug overdose, profound gastrointestinal losses
Hypothermia	Alcohol intoxication, significant burns, drowning, drug overdose, elder patient, endocrine disease, environmental exposure, spinal cord disease, trauma
Hypovolemia	Significant burns, diabetes, gastrointestinal losses, hemorrhage, malignancy, sepsis, trauma
Hypoxia	Upper airway obstruction, hypoventilation (CNS dysfunction, neuromuscular disease), pulmonary disease
Myocardial infarction	Cardiac arrest
Poisoning	History of alcohol or drug abuse, altered mental status, classic toxidrome (eg, sympathomimetic), occupational exposure, psychiatric disease
Pulmonary embolism	Immobilized patient, recent surgical procedure (eg, orthopedic), peripartum, risk factors for thromboembolic disease, recent trauma, presentation consistent with acute pulmonary embolism
Tension pneumothorax	Central venous catheter, mechanical ventilation, pulmonary disease (eg, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), thoracentesis, thoracic trauma

CNS: central nervous system.
* Hypomagnesemia should be assumed in the setting of hypokalemia, and both should be treated.

Adapted from: Eisenberg MS, Mengert TJ. Cardiac resuscitation. N Engl J Med 2001; 344:1304.

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