FIRST NURSING CARE IN URGENCY AND EMERGENCY: CARDIORESPIRATORY ARREST

Abstract

Cardiorespiratory arrest (CRA) is a critical emergency that requires rapid, skilled, and coordinated action from the nursing team—professionals who are often the first to recognize warning signs and initiate resuscitation maneuvers. This study aims to identify the primary nursing care provided to patients experiencing CRA and to analyze the challenges faced by the team within the hospital setting. It is a narrative literature review based on a survey of scientific articles—published in Portuguese between 2020 and 2026—retrieved from the Google Scholar, SciELO, and EBSCO databases. The findings indicate that the nurse’s role encompasses a wide range of interventions: from immediate patient assessment, the early initiation of high-quality chest compressions, adequate ventilation, defibrillation, and medication administration, to team coordination, emotional support for family members, and the systematic documentation of actions taken. Nevertheless, challenges persist, including insufficient knowledge among a significant portion of professionals, a lack of ongoing training, the high-pressure nature of urgent and emergency care environments, and the need for constant updates in line with current clinical guidelines. It is concluded that nursing care is a decisive factor in patient survival, underscoring the necessity for continuous professional development, the standardization of clinical protocols, and the recognition of the nurse’s vital role in the chain of survival.