emergency cardiac care

emergency cardiac care (ECC)

Etymology: L, emergeere, to come forth; Gk, kardia + ME, caru, sorrow

the concentration of personnel and facilities organized to sustain the cardiovascular and pulmonary systems when a myocardial infarction or cardiac arrest occurs. The interventions assure prompt availability of basic life support, monitoring and treatment facilities, prevention of complications, and psychological reassurance. If cardiac arrest occurs outside a hospital, efforts are devoted to stabilizing the patient's cardiovascular and pulmonary systems before removing the individual to a hospital.

emergency cardiac care

Abbreviation: ECC

The basic and advanced life support assessment and treatment necessary to manage sudden and often life-threatening events affecting cardiovascular and pulmonary systems. ECC includes identifying the nature of the problem, monitoring the patient closely, providing basic and advanced life support as quickly as possible, preventing complications, reassuring the patient, and transporting the patient to the most appropriate facility for definitive cardiac care.

See: advanced cardiac life support; basic life support; cardiopulmonary resuscitation

See also: care