A crash cart (also known as a code cart, MAX cart or emergency cart) is a collection of trays/drawers/shelves on wheels used to transport and dispense medical equipment for emergencies like cardiac arrest. Each minute of delay in resuscitation results in a 7 – 10 percent drop in survival rates.
1. Easily Accessible
For medical professionals, time is of the essence during an emergency. Every minute that passes during a code decreases a patient’s chance of survival.
Thankfully, procedure carts can significantly speed up response times by allowing nurses to easily find the tools they need to save lives. Crash carts contain the necessary equipment to handle different emergencies, such as defibrillators and medications for cardiac arrest. This makes them especially useful for hospitals that treat high volumes of patients.
A hospital’s resuscitation cart needs to be carefully stocked and organized for nurses to find what they need quickly. Many resuscitation carts are not standardized, and their contents often change over time as resuscitation guidelines evolve. The contents of a procedure cart must also be balanced against the need for security measures to prevent drug diversion and tampering. Unfortunately, the extra steps required to check and manage a crash cart can add up and delay response times.
Additionally, when a crash cart is used multiple times in a day, it may not be returned to the proper location between uses. For example, a defibrillator may be left unplugged in the rush to transport the cart from the code room to other areas of the hospital. These errors can cause damage to the equipment, and can also lead to a delay in responding to an emergency. To address these issues, a new procedure cart design has been developed to improve the accessibility of resuscitation supplies and reduce the amount of manual processes that are required. It includes a new cart layout, improved medication tray organization, and an electronic device that tracks usage and supplies. This study was supported (in part) by HCA Healthcare and/or an HCA Healthcare affiliated entity. The views expressed herein do not necessarily reflect those of the HCA Healthcare or affiliated entities.
2. Convenient Storage
In emergency situations, every second counts. Medical staff cannot waste time searching for equipment or supplies when they are trying to save a life. By consolidating essential tools into purpose-built mobile storage units, resuscitation carts make sure that critical equipment is always within reach.
Whether used in the hospital ER or a clinic’s exam rooms, resuscitation carts are essential tools that all healthcare professionals need for emergencies. These life-saving devices are on wheels and easily move from one room to another. Designed for rapid access and efficiency, they help reduce response times and allow staff to focus on patient care rather than on searching for life-saving equipment.
Each resuscitation cart is designed differently depending on the type of patients and procedures a hospital serves. However, a hospital should balance the need for a secure cart that prevents drug diversion and tampering with the need to quickly locate medications and equipment in an emergency situation. Cart security measures like plastic breakaway locks are necessary to reduce the risk of theft and unauthorized access. However, introducing too many barriers can cost response teams valuable time when it is most needed.
The first drawer in most resuscitation carts stores medications, which need to be located and dispensed as quickly as possible in an emergency. This is usually followed by a backup drawer, which contains additional fluids, spare central lines, and other supplies. Finally, a procedure drawer holds resuscitation equipment, such as umbilical catheter kits, a cut-down tray, a delivery set, and tourniquets.
Keeping the most important supplies and equipment conveniently organized will also improve patient survival rates. A simple system to manage cart checks and restocking will keep facilities prepared for Code Blue events and ensure that life-saving equipment is always ready to use. This system should include a check for expiration dates, standardized restocking protocols, and an electronic or paper record of resuscitation equipment usage.
3. Easy to Maintain
Hospitals often struggle to balance cart security and ease of use. If the carts are difficult to move, it can be frustrating and time consuming for responders to get to where they need to go. Introducing too many barriers can cost hospitals valuable time when response teams need to be the most efficient.
Having all equipment necessary to save lives within reach can improve the odds of survival in emergency resuscitation situations, but that’s only true when it’s easy to find the right supplies. If the carts aren’t easy to keep up with, it can be difficult to keep them in good working order and ensure they contain all the necessary items to help patients.
It’s also a challenge to maintain an up-to-date list of medication and supplies on hand. In fact, it’s common for departments to forget to update their lists or not realize they have an expired item until a code is called and the team begins treating patients.
A standardized code cart can significantly reduce the amount of time it takes for staff to locate critical medicines and equipment. This allows them to begin treatment more quickly and improves patient outcomes. However, the number of drawers in a standard cart can be overwhelming for some physicians to navigate during an emergency.
One study suggests that implementing a user-centered design focus in the organization of code cart contents may improve the usability of these tools. The study found that reducing the number of drawers and color coding them to specific length and weight ranges reduced the amount of time it took for staff to access the supplies they needed. As a result, they were able to save precious minutes in a simulated code event.
4. Automated Checks
The faster your hospital responds to a code, the more likely the patient will survive. The best way to ensure the right equipment is ready to go when needed is with an automated system that alerts staff to issues and proactively manages cart inventory.
A resuscitation cart, also called a code cart or crash cart, contains all the medical tools, supplies, and medications required to treat a patient who is experiencing cardiac arrest or other life-threatening emergency. The term resuscitation cart was coined in 1968 by nurse Anita Dorr, who designed the first all-in-one emergency care tool to improve efficiency.
In today’s healthcare environment, hospitals face an endless number of complex variables that impact a patient’s survival rates. One critical factor often overlooked is poor preparation and execution of emergency resuscitation protocols, including insufficient or disorganized cart storage. In fact, a hospital’s failure to properly prepare for a Code resuscitation event can be more devastating than an actual medical emergency.
Crash carts must balance security and accessibility, with the understanding that every minute of delay can significantly decrease a patient’s chance of survival. Unfortunately, many hospitals have a hard time striking this balance. Traditional manual processes, such as filling out pen-and-paper checklists, managing inventory, and checking for expired items, require significant clinical time that could be better spent treating patients in emergency situations.
In addition, many hospital systems struggle to maintain a standardized cart configuration and layout to ensure consistent, accessible storage. Moreover, the carts can become cluttered and disorganized to the point of impracticality. In a recent study, an all-in-one cart that was modeled after the Broselow cart — a cart that is used at many children’s hospitals for resuscitation — was found to be easier and faster for clinicians to use than traditional carts. They were able to locate the correct equipment for a child’s specific needs, such as intubation equipment or nasogastric tubes, much more quickly and accurately than with the standard carts.
5. Digital Recordings
In digital recording, a sequence of bits (the fundamental unit of data storage) is encoded into a representation that can be easily transmitted over a network or stored on a computer. This process is a key component of how modern hospitals operate, and it can be used to improve patient survival rates in emergency situations.
Historically, most children’s hospitals and clinics have modeled their resuscitation cart after the standard cart design in which drawers are organized by intervention with the assumption that multiple drawers will be opened during a code. However, a recent study found that resuscitation carts that are organized using the Broselow tape (which organizes equipment based on child length and weight range) have better accessibility than standard carts. In fact, researchers found that pediatric health care providers were able to locate intubation equipment and nasogastric tubes more quickly using the Broselow cart, and that they were also able to select the right sized equipment more often.
While the underlying causes of low CPR performance are complex, it’s important to understand that there are many opportunities for improvement in the delivery of pre-hospital care. A common problem is a lack of real-time feedback during CPR, as this allows responders to see how they are performing and make adjustments accordingly. King County EMS is a great example of an agency that addressed this issue and achieved survival rates of more than 60%, which is five times the national average.
Resuscitation carts are vital to ensuring that hospitals can provide their patients with the best possible care during an emergency situation. They must be stocked with the appropriate tools and medications, and must be easy to use and maintain. Unfortunately, many hospitals struggle with these goals due to issues like inadequate cart organization and outdated technology.