Smacc

Resuscitation is complicated, but the solutions don't have to be. Chris Hicks brings you four psychological strategies that will help you manage complex resuscitations. It is a fascinating time to be a resuscitationist with ROBOA, ECMO and EPR. Chris explains that as we learn more about critical illness, we learn more about the complexities of resuscitation. Therefore, we need ways to manage and constrain complexity and to simplify and organise problems that will see us through. Chris’s lessons are founded on a case. A 22-year-old female is brought into the Emergency Department. She was an unrestrained driver in a motor vehicle accident. She is agitated, has multiple facial smash injuries, burns to her torso and neck, a right sided flail segment, and a mechanically unstable pelvis. Also, when you ultrasound her abdomen, you realise she is well into the third trimester of a pregnancy. Chris discusses four strategies to cope in a complex situation. The first is grounded in habits. Habits have a lot to do with w