3 lives saved via CPR

[444]

This is an example of what can be done if people like you take the time to learn CPR. That alone would help the rest of us immensely. It won't do it all, by itself; you will need some help, but it is one link in the chain.

At the risk of sounding corney, we need your help. You need to become trained to become part of the process; a vital part of the process. We simply can't do it without you.

 

[clubsoda22]

I just learned that campus safety at my college does not require CPR/AED and they have AED's available for the officers.

Fortunately, i have used this to my advantage and brought it up with the president of the university (who i work with through his pet project the "Presidential Service Corps"). I have already proposed the idea of a campus-based, student run QRS and he is very supportive. Looks like it's gonna be a go and hopefully i'll be pulling off free room and board as an incentive.

 

[VNgo]

The only thing that'll restart the heart of a patient who's had a heart attack is a defibrillator or drugs, depending on what exactly happened (defib for ventricular fibrillation or ventricular tachycardia; drugs for various other things). CPR simply buys time for those things to be brought into play.

 

[c_yeager]

VNgo is absolutly right. When someone is in arrest and undergoing CPR the goal isnt for that person to stand up and be just fine afterwards. CPR also doesnt "restart" someones heart. Its really really hard to even define a "CPR save". Typically all CPR does is keep a person from going braindead before TRUE ressusitation methods can be brought out. People have been conditioned by TV to think that CPR actually makes people suddenly come back to life, it doesnt.

 

[VNgo]

CPR also does "restart" someones heart.

There's one semi-exception to that. In infants and small children, cardiac arrest is usually caused by respiratory arrest rather than ventricular fibrillation, and CPR *does* have a good chance of getting things going again. This is why for single-rescuer CPR on an infant, we're trained to provide CPR for one minute before calling 911.

 

[444]

"Its really really hard to even define a "CPR save"."

To me, it really isn't. If someone arrests outside of a medical setting (like at home or in a public place) and good, effective CPR is done, and the person is resuscitated I personally credit CPR with being the crtitical factor. While it is true that CPR by itself is largely ineffective in resuscitation by itself, keeping the patient oxygenated is what allows all the other ALS intervention to be effective. Without an oxygenated heart and brain you will have no shockable rhythm.

"There's one semi-exception to that. In infants and small children, cardiac arrest is usually caused by respiratory arrest rather than ventricular fibrillation, and CPR *does* have a good chance of getting things going again. "
There are certainly other causes of cardiac arrest such as drowning, asthma, COPD, carbon monoxide poisoning etc. where the primary cause of the arrest was not cardiac in nature.

 

[clubsoda22]

i agree with 444 here. Any time effective CPR bought time for the medics to get there, it was a CPR save and the person doing CPR deserves just as much credit as the medics for the save because without the initial CPR and the later ALS, they probably wouldn't have survived.

 

[VNgo]

There are certainly other causes of cardiac arrest such as drowning, asthma, COPD, carbon monoxide poisoning etc. where the primary cause of the arrest was not cardiac in nature.

Yes, but they're not as common. We're taught the delayed 911 call on infant CPR because respiratory is <i>usually</i> the cause.

 

[c_yeager]

Even in a health care setting we do 1min of CPR on infants before we call an internal code and go witht he defibs etc. Its scary how often they seem to just stop breathing. Probably because they have new lungs and all that. Infants are exceptions to a lot of rules though.

 

[larry_minn]

CPR can be more effective when used in situations like water in the lungs, or electrocution. ...Ryan

Yep. It also can help give the family a chance to say Goodbye. I have done it and rescue breathing (with a ambu bag) on Pt when family filed in to say goodbye to their mother. Even keeping her alive that long ment something. (to be fair to her it would have been better if we had done nothing as she did not last the weekend. Never came back but family was glad they could say goodbye. I have a friend who taught CPR for years. Had 15+ CPR runs and never had one live thru night. Another guy IIRC had two successful who left hospital in less then a week. (both were electrical injuries) Figure as said it buys time. IF you have access to pure O2 it buys more time. (Think welding bottles/home medical supplies. Even if you don't have ambu bag/demand valve stick a nasel canula on yourself (if they have home O2 there should be unopened packages of them around and breath IN thru nose and out (into patient) thru mouth. O2 level will be much higher for both you and them.
Hope you and I never have to do CPR or serious triage/bandaging again.

 

[VNgo]

IF you have access to pure O2 it buys more time. (Think welding bottles/home medical supplies. Even if you don't have ambu bag/demand valve stick a nasel canula on yourself (if they have home O2 there should be unopened packages of them around and breath IN thru nose and out (into patient) thru mouth.

If you use a nasal cannula, make sure not to turn the oxygen level over 6 liters/minute, as cannulas are is designed for a flow rate of two to six l/min.

 

[4v50 Gary]

CPR works - my sister saved my father once.

Gang - you can go to the American Red Cross and get certified as a First Aid/CPR/AED instructor. It's about 24 hours of classes (including the basic how to instruct class). Afterwards, you have to teach a class or two for free for them but you can rent dummies and set up your own seminars.

BTW, employers should do it and it's cheaper to have it done in-house than to contract out and bring in an outsider. American Red Cross will rent their instructors the dummies for a day fee.