I Administered CPR To My Neighbor, But It Didn’t Work!

I received an email from a true rescuer who attempted to revive their neighbor by administering CPR.  The neighbor did not survive lighthouse-1418634-sand now the rescuer is feeling as though the may not have done enough to help.  This is a very normal feeling for many rescuers.  I’d like to share my thoughts and I hope it helps bring closure, confidence and peace.

Much Peace,

THE FOLLOWING IS MY RESPONSE:

Hello Lynn,

It sounds like you’ve had a rough couple of days.  First, because a neighbor and potentially their friends and family members are experiencing a living nightmare right now and secondly, because you may be feeling like you did not do enough, or do it well enough.

These feelings are very normal and not because you did anything wrong.  It’s just normal to feel sad that the situation did not turn out the way we would have wanted it to.  The fact that you did any CPR at all means that you gave this gentleman a chance at survival.  Please remember, CPR is not designed to save lives directly.  It’s purpose is to slow the process of moving from clinical death to biological death down a little in order to possibly intervene with advanced life support and buy more time to get the person to the hospital. CPR can sometimes help the body respond to the medications and electrical therapy but it does not take away the reason the person went into cardiac arrest in the first place in most cases.  There can be so many reasons why a patient goes into cardiac arrest and why the seemingly don’t respond.  It’s important to remember that your neighbor was already clinically dead when you arrived by their side.  You gave them and their family members a wonderful gift.  You moved out of your comfort zone and gave this person a second chance at survival.  Something they wouldn’t have had if you wouldn’t have tried.  The fact that your neighbor did not survive cardiac arrest does not take anything away from your efforts and your compassion.

You acted bravely and selflessly.  That is not the norm in our culture.  You are the exception and I say well done!  Please, be at peace knowing that the most experienced and effective rescuers don’t always achieve the outcome that others wish would happen.  True rescuers try their best to make a possibility for a tomorrow, regardless of the outcome and make the world a more loving place and show the world compassion by doing so.

Be at peace knowing that you did a wonderful act of love and compassion.

Most sincerely,

-Roy

What If The Person Is Choking and Is Pregnant?

Hi Rescue Fans!

Got a good question via email today regarding the choking adult scenario.  This rescuer asked if we could explain the following:  “Please talk about how to give a pregnant woman chest compressions if she was choking. How would we hold her? With an infant we make sure the head is below the body. But what to do for a pregnant woman who is choking? -H____pregnantchokingfemale

I thought this was a good question and one that we cover in our CPR certification course.  Feel free to view it below.  At about 44 seconds into the training, I talk about what to do if the person has a distended abdomen that’s too large to reach around, or they are a pregnant person.  I hope this helps!

 

Can A Person Be Struck By Lightning On A Porch?

In this episode, we take a look at what areas are safe to watch a thunderstorm from.  A question was asked about the safety of watching lightning from under a porch attached to a house.  They wondered if it was grounded just like the porch.  After researching a bit, I found that it is no more safe than being in a tent, a shed, or under a tree.  Take a look at this vlog and find out why it’s not safe to be outside when you hear the roar of thunder.

Fellow Workers Credited For Saving Co-Workers Life With CPR

This video covers a story of how a person’s life is saved because others cared enough to try CPR. Watch this video and be encouraged that you never know when you may need to use CPR skills. If you want to learn CPR today, go to www.profirstaid.com and click on the training tab at the top of the site. Then watch the videos for free, and learn what to do in case of an emergency. It really can make a difference! It did in this person’s life.

Keep On Rescuing,
Roy

Nurse Doesn’t Give CPR To Elderly Resident, Did She Do Something Wrong?

Hello Rescue Fans,

Today I was made aware of a story that is on fire with debate.  Should CPR have been given to the elderly person or not?  Should the RN be charged?  Should the family sue the “Nursing Home?”  actually independent living residence.  How does the blah blah blah association feel about this?  How does the National Board of Registered Nurses feel about this?  On and on and on!   What I can’t believe is why everyone is blaming a non medical facility, which has pre-aranged agreements with it’s residents that don’t want any CPR for calling 911 and then simply doing what the resident and the management agreed to do?  Okay, so there wasn’t an actual DNR(Do Not Resuscitate) which can lead to a lot of miscommunication and ambiguity…I give you that but come on, guilty of neglect?  Charged for not administering CPR?  I know what you’re thinking right now.  Roy has flipped his lid!  Here he is, the RoyOnRescue host that is always talking about how we should get involved in order to try and save a life and now he’s sticking up for this non-caring facility that let this “poor” women die!

You’re right, I am all about saving lives when they can be saved, but I’m also all about death with dignity when the time is right and it’s in line with the wishes of the patient themselves.  What’s more is that this debate is not about the wishes of the patient, which has already been confirmed by deceased family members, this is about a 911 dispatcher who thought that the person at the end of the phone should care enough to begin CPR, regardless of the rules and regulations by which the employee was mandated to follow.  Yes, the caller should probably not have said that they were a nurse which could be interpreted as a skilled nursing center instead of an independent retirement community.   Yes, the nurse and the dispatcher could have been more calm while explaining that the patients wishes were for no resuscitation and that the community agrees to no resuscitation prior to living in that facility.  But in the end, the mainstream media has gotten wind of this story and blown it way, way out of proportion.  I’ve dealt with so many of these calls that I predicted what the problem was before I even read the story. And after reading not one, but many accounts, found that it was just as I thought. In short, lack of communication, lack of paperwork and lack of privacy.  You put all those together and what do you get?  A hot story that takes off like a wild fire!  Watch the video for my thoughts and then give me your feedback.  Especially if you disagree.  I love a good debate.

 

 

 

Watch A Real Cardiac Arrest and Survival! Plus Patient Interview Post Resuscitation.

I wanted to share this video with you.  We know sudden cardiac arrest happens almost every 2 minutes to someone in the U.S. but we rarely get a chance to watch a real cardiac arrest occur, see the rescue caught on a security camera and then hear the patient talk about his experience so that everyone can learn from it.  If you or someone you know does not know how to provide CPR, please go to www.profirstaid.com and watch the free CPR training by clicking on the training video tab.  Or simply click here after  you watch the video below.

Should CPR and AED’s Be Required In Schools?

Students Train Free!

Every couple of minutes, someone suffers sudden cardiac arrest.  95% of these victims are dead before they make it to the Emergency Room doors.  In North Carolina, the Governor is trying to change that statistic.  She’s signed a bill that requires all highschoolers to be CPR trained prior to receiving their diploma.    Is it a good or bad idea and why do you feel the way you do?
Keep in mind that ProTrainings.com has already implemented a program that offers CPR training and certification to all high school students for FREE! ProTrainings.com and the StudentsTrainFree.com program reported that over 3000 high schoolers this year alone have already been trained and certified. If you know of any school desiring to implement a similar program, please contact ProTrainings.com and ask for the Student CPR department.

Why Put On Personal Protective Equipment(PPE) Before Checking For Consciousness?

Hello Rescuers!

I just received a question via our ProCPR customer feedback that read: PPE

Dear ProCPR, “Question 16 says you have on PPE (personal protective equipment)  already, then you check for
responsiveness. Why would you put on your PPE before you check consciousness?

– Anthony

In case anyone else may have asked the same question I though I’d address it.  First, Question 16 is the number this person was on while taking the ProCPR.org test.  This is the online portion of the Health Care Provider level BLS certification training in case anyone was wondering.

Okay,  now for the answer.  As professional health care providers, we should always be thinking about cross contamination.  We don’t want to catch what the patient may have and we don’t want to give the patient anything that we may have!  Remember, PPE works both ways.  Can anyone say, nosocomial infection?  Even if the patient isn’t in obvious distress or obviously infectious, we should be thinking about the fact that the person seems to be in need and may require medical treatment.  This means that we may need gloves, CPR shield with one way barrier, goggles, face mask, respiratory protection etc.   This is why it’s so important to think about PPE  whenever we encounter a situation that may call us into action.  Not just when the person is unconscious or not breathing.

Forever, I’ve battled the problem with health care professionals short cutting PPE while giving care or even thinking about care.  We really do need to consider the two way protective properties related to infection control as it relates to appropriate personal protective equipment.

When it comes to layperson rescue, one of the top five reasons that laypeople will not intervene when a person is in distress is the fear of disease!  If the rescuer is approaching a victim and dons their gloves early as well as ensures that they have a CPR shield available, the fear of catching a disease is greatly diminished.  This will  increase the chances that the Good Samaritan may actually get physically involved in the rescue.

Now I know what you may be thinking…”Roy!  Do you really think that I’ll have one of those rescue kits on by belt all the time?  You may be a “Rescue Hero” type but the feasibility of me having PPE on my person when I’m at the beach, shopping, walking, vacationing, or even at a business meeting is slim to none.”  Well, I have to agree!  Unless you are a professional rescuer on duty, you probably won’t have your jump kit, glove pouch or a one way valve mask bag swinging from your belt loop.  So how will you have the PPE you need at the time you need it?  The best way I’ve found is to have a key ring rescue kit.  The catch is having it be small enough to not get in the way and large enough to carry your gloves and a one way CPR shield.  The reason I say a Key Ring style, is that I think that keys are the one item that most people have with them most of the time.  If they don’t have them with them, then they are usually close at hand.  And if we have our keys, we’ll at least have gloves and a CPR shield.   So make sure you get one and then the PPE problem is out of the way.  Still don’t think that PPE is needed?   Well, that’s why the AHA endorses “hands only” CPR!  It’s really not that compression only CPR is better than full Cardio PULMONARY resuscitation, it’s that there are so many non PPE toting people afraid that they may catch a disease if they do mouth to mouth rescue breaths that we had to design a new form of  bystander CPR.  Since implementing  “Hands only” CPR, there has been an increase in rescuer involvement.  And when people get involved and provide CPR, lives are saved!

PPE should be on every rescuer’s mind…and key chain, lay or professional and when we begin to think about PPE as the first step in rescue, lives are saved and infection is prevented more often!

Hope this helps.

Question Answered Regarding Aggresive Chest Compressions and Unconscious Choking Patient

Screenshot-2013-12-04-14.22A really good question came in regarding the choking unconscious protocol.  The question was basically this.

Q:  The way the objective is taught regarding choking patients, you progress to chest compressions once the person loses consciousness with or without a pulse.  I can understand that and have taught that to my staff BUT those with ACLS certification quickly point out that ACLS still stresses that you do not do chest compressions in a patient with a pulse.  I am reviewing my ACLS and I can see the confusion.  As I see it, the key is in what you have available to you and in an unconscious choking vs respiratory arrest but I would like to better explain it and to do that I need to make my peace with it too.

Lastly,  In response to your training question regarding choking unconscious patient.  I know it’s hard to understand some of the changes that take place from time to time with the ILCOR and AHA recommendations.

A:  I’ll try and make sense of this particular skill.  Once we asses for unconsciousness or lower the unconscious choking patient down to the floor, and after calling 911, we’re going to begin 30 chest compressions immediately and then open the airway, check for obstruction or object in mouth and sweep it out if we see it.

If we don’t see it, we will attempt two breaths, if breaths don’t go in, we will reposition the head tilt and chin lift and try two more breaths(ideally with a one way valve mask in place).  If breaths do not go in, we will give 30 more chest compressions and then check mouth for object. Repeat until object is clear, airway is open or help arrives and takes over.  If at some point, we sweep an object  out and the breath goes in, we then check for a carotid pulse for no more than 10 seconds, if no pulse and no normal breathing…begin CPR.   If there is a pulse but patient is not spontaneously breathing, begin rescue breathing at 1 breath every five seconds.

Explanation:  The immediate chest compressions are due to a philosophy that the patient was already choking while conscious and instead of assuming that it came out after unconsciousness, we assume that it’s still blocking the airway.  The only thing we need to do if not already done, is activate the EMS or 911 system.  Then after 30 chest compressions, we check for produced obstruction.

Remember, even in ACLS, we are now less concerned about pulses and more concerned about time from non circulating heart activity or arrest to time of first compression. In other words, if we are not able to detect pulses or are unsure, but the patient is unresponsive and not breathing “normally” (agonal) the science and research is promoting aggressive cardiac compressions and minimization of time between arrest and first compression from CPR.  In this scenario, if the choking patient is in cardiac arrest, then they will benefit from  receiving 30 chest compressions before we check the airway.

Therefore, in theory, we’ve potentially circulated some residual oxygen to the brain and other vascular organs.  If the patient is not in cardiac arrest but simply still choking, the compressions should assist in relieving the obstruction and studies have shown that injury due to non-needed compressions is minimal.  This is why the emphasis on aggressive chest compressions.

I hope this helps anyone else who may have had the same question!

Email Questions and Answers Part 1

Hello Everyone!

In this episode of RoyOnRescue, Roy takes some time to catch up on different emailed questions and comments that have come in over the last few months.  The two different emailed questions that were answered were; “won’t laying a person down while choking only make it worse?” and “I thought we were always suppose to control arterial bleeding before beginning cpr!”.   Roy takes his time to discuss these two different topics and explain the reasons why we do what we do in rescue in detail.

Be sure to join Roy in Part 1 of several parts as he works his way through a list of different topics that have been sent in by viewers like you.

Remember,  If you’ve got a question or comment that you would like Roy to answer or give  a response, please send it via email to:  royonrescue@gmail.com.  Be sure to follow Roy on twitter at:  @royonrescue

Remember, your actions make a bigger difference than you realize and you can change the course of history.

Keep On Rescuing,

The RoyOnRescue Team