A 32-year-old woman who is 8 weeks pregnant suffers a witnessed cardiac arrest in the Emergency Department. Ventricular fibrillation (VF) is confirmed on the cardiac monitor. The resuscitation team is preparing to deliver a shock.
According to Resuscitation Council UK (RCUK) guidelines, what modification should be made to standard defibrillation?
Reduce initial defibrillation shock energy to 100 joules to protect the embryo
Apply manual left uterine displacement before delivering the defibrillation shock
Place adhesive defibrillation pads in an anteroposterior position across the chest
No modification is required; use standard adult pad placement and energy levels
Delay defibrillation until urgent ultrasound assessment confirms presence of fetal cardiac activity