CPR In Marin: Saving a life with your own hands
EVENTS NEVER turn out like you expect. Not long ago , we answered a call that came to us from dispatch as a "bicyclist down." We get a lot of these calls. But as the engine was pulling up to the scene, the captain, seated in the right front seat, could see a bystander performing CPR on the bicycle victim.
Our firefighters and paramedics went into action, first taking over CPR from the bystander, and then supplying oxygen and advanced cardiac care to restart the victim's heart. The patient was successfully resuscitated, and was discharged home from the hospital within a couple of weeks.
The successful result of this case was possible only because somebody stepped up to perform CPR while the fire department was en route. The victim would have certainly died without this life-saving assistance from a stranger.
This scenario occurs more frequently than you might think. Having reviewed thousands of cases over the last few years, I have seen numerous occasions when a bystander performed CPR and saved a person's life. A large number of the successful resuscitations in Marin County were possible because of willing bystanders who had learned CPR in a number of locally available CPR classes. Even small children have been able to save the life of a grandparent by performing CPR.
Ever since CPR was first demonstrated to be successful approximately 50 years ago, there have been changes to the techniques, as the cardiologists learn more about what factors favor successful
resuscitation. We know that CPR must be started within just a few minutes in order for the victim to have any chance of survival. Furthermore, research has shown that, even if excellent CPR is provided, the heart must be beating on its own within eight minutes in order to maximize a victim's chances.
Despite these techniques, the outcome from sudden cardiac arrest is still usually dismal. For cardiac arrests in which CPR is started immediately, the rate of successful resuscitation is still less than 20 percent. But, without CPR, the result would be 0 percent.
The American Heart Association released changes to CPR techniques just last week, stating that "hands-only CPR," the chest compressions, was sufficient to sustain life, but only, of course, for a few minutes until a cardiac defibrillator is available. This news is helpful for those bystanders who know CPR, but who may be reluctant to intervene because concerns about the possibility of exposure to infectious disease.
Even though standard CPR currently teaches people how to use a mouth barrier to help prevent infection, the latest news should help to alleviate those concerns.
According to the AHA, chest compressions alone, without stopping to perform "mouth to mouth" breathing, is just as effective as CPR performed with the breathing. The important element is that, once started, the chest compressions should continue without stopping. Research has shown that it takes a number of chest compressions to get the blood moving. Once the compressions stop, it takes a while to get the blood moving again.
I encourage everyone to take a class in CPR, which can be accomplished in a single evening. You will get to practice the compressions on a plastic simulator and, in a very short time, become skilled with this technique. Contact either the local Red Cross or your local fire department to find out where you can find a class. Sometimes you can even arrange for a class at your own workplace.
The citizens of Marin County should be proud off their EMS providers, for their skill and their dedication. But survival from cardiac arrest requires that you help us to help you.
Learn CPR. Jump in and help. Save a life with your own hands. You cannot even imagine what it feels like, several weeks after performing CPR, to walk up to someone whose life you held in your hands - someone who was essentially dead without your intervention - and look them in the eyes while shaking their hand.
Dr. Tom Gross is the emergency medical services director for the Novato Fire Protection District. His column appears Mondays.
Posted: 04/07/2008 12:03:35 AM PDT