How to Organize Your Crash Cart Supplies

Organizing a crash or code cart requires knowing the progression of the "Advanced Cardiac Life Support" process, established by the American Heart Association. Crash carts, found in most health care facilities, have five, seven or nine drawers containing supplies used when responding to a life-threatening emergency. Found in strategic locations throughout the hospital or health care facility, crash carts should be easily accessible to health care providers and inventoried and restocked on a regular basis.

Things You'll Need

• Crash cart
• Airways (infant, pediatric, adult)
• McGill forcepts, large and small
• Nasal cannulas (infant, pediatric, adult)
• 100% non-rebreather oxygen face masks (infant, pediatric, adult)
• Resuscitation bags (infant, pediatric, adult)
• Blood pressure cuffs
• Suction catheters
• Laryngoscope handles and blades
• Endotracheal tubes (infant, pediatric, adult)
• Pressure cuff
• CO2 detector
• Bulbs, batteries, guidewires for pediatric and adult intubation kit
• IV start paks
• 1000 cc bag normal saline solution
• IV tubing, Burotrol for pediatric patients
• Angiocatheters, 22, 20, 18 gauges
• 1cc syringes
• 3cc syringes
• 20 cc syringe
• Gauze
• Three sizes of sterile gloves
• Alcohol preps
• Flashlight
• Conducting gel
• Cardiac board
• Defibrillator and electrodes
• Stethescope
• Suction canister and tubing
• Oxygen tank with regulator
• Drugs (specific to health care center):
• Aspirin 325 mg
• Nitroglycerin 0.4 mg sublingual
• Dextrose 50% 50 ml. Abboject
• Narcan 1 mg Amp
• Epinephrine 1 mg, (1:10:000 conc) Abboject
• Atropine sulfate 0.1 mg/ml Abboject
• Lidocaine 100mg Abboject
• EpiPens
• EpiPen Jr., for pedicatric patients under 30 kilograms
• SoluMedrol 125 mg vial
• Benadryl 50 mg vial
• Pepcid 20 mg vial

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Instructions

• 1

  Crash cart supplies are fairly standard in the health care industry, though certain items may be facility specific. Drugs are kept in the top drawer, and sometimes also in the second drawer in larger facilities. All ACLS first line, rapid sequence pharmaceuticals are placed based on progression of administration. A bar code scanner may be in the drawer as well, if the syringes are bar coded.

• 2

  The next drawer contains all of the adult intubation supplies. Starting from left to right, you should have endotracheal tubes, airways, pressure cuff, CO2 detector, laryngoscope handle, forceps, guidewires, bulb, blades and batteries. Some facilities have an intubation kit, a separate box containing all of these supplies, sitting on top of the crash cart for easy access.

• 3

  The next drawer holds all of your sterile supplies including three sizes of sterile gloves, gauze, tape, alcohol swabs, syringes and needles in various sizes, conducting gel and injectable saline. This is another drawer that may hold facility specific items such as those found in nursing homes and orthopedic centers.

• 4

  The next drawer will hold all of your infant and pediatric intubation and medical supplies. This drawer should be organized similar to the adult intubation drawer. If your facility accommodates infants and children, this drawer will hold all sizes of endotracheal tubes, resuscitation bags, blood pressure cuffs and suction catheters. Additional pediatric supplies, such as such as masks, cannulas, electrodes and pediatric single dose medications, are also kept in this drawer.

• 5

  The next drawer has all of your intravenous and blood draw supplies such as IV catheters, syringes, specimen tubes, tape and tourniquets.

• 6

  The last drawer contains all of your IV solutions, IV tubing sets, surgical kits and miscellaneous.

• 7

  The outside of the cart should have an oxygen tank with regulator on the left side, the cardiac board on the back and the defibrillator on top of the cart.