Heart-Stopping Pearls: Secrets to Smarter Resuscitation

Unraveling Mysteries of Epinephrine ACLS Dosing and Therapies for Refractory Ventricular Defibrillation

Current large scale guidelines do not provide hard recommendations for many situations that arise in the management of patients requiring ACLS. This session is designed to examine the literature behind current epinephrine recommendations in the ACLS algorithm and to use this background information to address and identify situations where alternative epinephrine dosing may be appropriate as well as situations where harm may result from epinephrine in the management of ACLS. Additionally, this session will address the grey areas that exist in the management of refractory ventricular fibrillation including medications (e.g. esmolol) and non-medication interventions (double-defibrillation).

Learning Objectives

At the completion of this activity, the pharmacist will be able to:

  1. Discuss dosing nuances/subtleties of epinephrine in ACLS, including history of dosing and alternative strategies.
  2. Identify potential harms and situations when harm may result from epinephrine administration.
  3. Evaluate available evidence for therapies for refractory ventricular fibrillation.
Accreditation Statement
ACPE Accreditation Logo

The University of South Carolina College of Pharmacy is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education as a provider of continuing pharmacy education.

This application-based activity is accredited for 1.0 live contact hours (0.1 CEU) for pharmacists, ACPE UAN 0062-9999-25-112-L01-P. Participants must log in to the webinar, attend the session in its entirety (no partial credit will be awarded), participate in any interactivity, and have their attendance verified. To claim credit: AEMP/SAEM members who wish to claim credit must pass an online quiz with 75% or higher, complete the online program evaluation, and their accounts must reflect their correct NABP e-Profile ID and month/day of birth in order to ensure credit is reported to the NABP CPE Monitor. Detailed instructions will be provided after participating in the activity. The deadline to claim credit is Friday, October 31, 2025. Visit our website to contact us with any questions.

Planners
  • Alli Cowett, PharmD, BCEMP. Emergency Medicine Clinical Pharmacist. Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Chicago IL.
  • Judah Brown, PharmD, BCCCP, BCEMP. Clinical Pharmacy Manager | Emergency Medicine. Program Director | PGY2 Emergency Medicine Pharmacy Residency. NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital | Columbia University Irving Medical Center.
  • Liz Uttaro, PharmD, BCEMP. Clinical Pharmacy Specialist, Emergency Medicine. University of Rochester Medical Center, Strong Memorial Hospital, Rochester NY.
Presenters
  • Lisa Hayes, PharmD, BCEMP, BCCCP. Clinical Pharmacy Specialist, Emergency Medicine. Methodist University Hospital, Memphis TN.
  • Christina Tran, PharmD, BCEMP, BCCCP. Clinical Pharmacy Specialist, Emergency Medicine. Methodist Dallas Medical Center, Dallas TX.
Disclosures

None of the webinar planners or presenters have any relevant financial relationships to disclose.

Additional Details

This webinar is scheduled for September 30, 2025, at 1:00-2:00 p.m. CT. There is no fee to attend this webinar. Only members in good standing of AEMP at the time of this webinar will be able to claim CPE credit upon completion of the program. Anyone who claims credit who is not an AEMP member will have their CE hours reversed. Funding for this webinar is provided by Society for Academic Emergency Medicine (SAEM) and the Academy of Emergency Medicine Pharmacists (AEMP). No commercial support is associated with this activity.


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