Many years ago, I was on a ride along with a Bountiful, Utah police officer, and we responded to the home of an elderly guy who had a heart attack.
He was dead when we got there, but we successfully brought him back, with the police officer doing the compressions, while I performed the breathing.
As is normal in these situations, while doing the respirations, I caught the guy's vomited dinner and blood (due to fractured sternum and rib cage) in my mouth.
We temporarily saved his life, but after the ambulance got him to the hospital, he passed away.
Now, the American Heart Association teaches a revised method of Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation using only the hands performing the chest compressions.
@John Robert Mallernee- Yikes! First off, my hat's off to you for the life-saving action you took. I'm sorry that the patient later died, but you gave him every possible chance.
Esthetics aside, I think the Heart Association's revised CPR technique makes particular sense in this age of serious bloodborne illnesses.
@ John Mallernee - I'm in that club. As a young highway patrol trooper in the late 1970's I responded to a serious injury 1 vehicle collision (which turned fatal). The victim was alive when I arrived but soon expired. CPR was administered but wasn't effective due to the victim's traumatic brain injury. But,on a cool early morning along a lonely stretch of highway, a mouthful of warm chili with spaghetti wasn't what I had in mind for breakfast. I gagged, cleared my mouth and his and went back to my duty to try and revive him. I am so thankful(and lucky) I didn't contract some horrible disease(s)as some of my fellow troopers did while doing their duty.
I, too, am happy for the changeover by the AHA. For many years after my experience I opined if the chest compression was performed properly, the lungs should be taking oxygen in, re-oxygenating the blood and returning it back to the heart for distribution to the brain and other vital organ, thus eliminating the need for pulmonary resuscitation. It appears I was correct in my opinion.
I apologize if anyone was disgusted by my story, but such is the life of a First Responder to an emergency crisis. My niece is a Pediatric Emergency Trauma Nurse. The situations she sees everyday at work make my experiences pall in comparison. If people only knew the extent of physically/sexually abused babies and children brought into an emergency medical facility with their lives hanging by a thread, they would be appalled and sick to their stomachs. How my niece has done this work for over 20 years and is still sane is a testament to her dedication to children.
@Bobo, your niece is to be lauded. My question is, do those abusing animals get what's coming to them? Ever? I would volunteer to be on the necessary firing squad(s) and I'd supply my own ammo. NO BLANKS for me!
@Bobo- Yikes. I can't imagine being in that situation. What an unbelievable blessing that we have professional heroes willing to provide aid in the worst of circumstances.
And even though you don't get into specifics about what your niece has had to deal with, it takes the wind out of me. Harming children crosses a primal line in my mind, and fills me with rage and the desire to take extreme retribution on behalf of the innocents.
And considering the serious tone these comments have taken, this might be a good time to remind folks that Johnny Optimism is not about mocking people with illnesses or facing horrible situations. Rather, it's about trying to find something to laugh about - even a sick or sad laugh - in the worst of situations. Because such situations are a part of all of our lives.
@JustaJeepGuy- At times like this, I frequently remember the scene in the movie "To Kill a Mockingbird" in which a rabid dog is in the street. Kind and gentle Atticus Finch doesn't hesitate to put the dog down with a single shot- not out of hatred, anger, or a thirst for revenge...but because he's doing what must be done for the safety of his children and others. Those who abuse children are, in my opinion, rabid dogs who should be dealt with - not cruelly, but finally.
6 comments:
I've actually done this.
Many years ago, I was on a ride along with a Bountiful, Utah police officer, and we responded to the home of an elderly guy who had a heart attack.
He was dead when we got there, but we successfully brought him back, with the police officer doing the compressions, while I performed the breathing.
As is normal in these situations, while doing the respirations, I caught the guy's vomited dinner and blood (due to fractured sternum and rib cage) in my mouth.
We temporarily saved his life, but after the ambulance got him to the hospital, he passed away.
Now, the American Heart Association teaches a revised method of Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation using only the hands performing the chest compressions.
@John Robert Mallernee- Yikes! First off, my hat's off to you for the life-saving action you took. I'm sorry that the patient later died, but you gave him every possible chance.
Esthetics aside, I think the Heart Association's revised CPR technique makes particular sense in this age of serious bloodborne illnesses.
I recommend the taste test. It's pretty foolproof, that and the wiggle test.
@ John Mallernee - I'm in that club. As a young highway patrol trooper in the late 1970's I responded to a serious injury 1 vehicle collision (which turned fatal). The victim was alive when I arrived but soon expired. CPR was administered but wasn't effective due to the victim's traumatic brain injury. But,on a cool early morning along a lonely stretch of highway, a mouthful of warm chili with spaghetti wasn't what I had in mind for breakfast. I gagged, cleared my mouth and his and went back to my duty to try and revive him. I am so thankful(and lucky) I didn't contract some horrible disease(s)as some of my fellow troopers did while doing their duty.
I, too, am happy for the changeover by the AHA. For many years after my experience I opined if the chest compression was performed properly, the lungs should be taking oxygen in, re-oxygenating the blood and returning it back to the heart for distribution to the brain and other vital organ, thus eliminating the need for pulmonary resuscitation. It appears I was correct in my opinion.
I apologize if anyone was disgusted by my story, but such is the life of a First Responder to an emergency crisis. My niece is a Pediatric Emergency Trauma Nurse. The situations she sees everyday at work make my experiences pall in comparison. If people only knew the extent of physically/sexually abused babies and children brought into an emergency medical facility with their lives hanging by a thread, they would be appalled and sick to their stomachs. How my niece has done this work for over 20 years and is still sane is a testament to her dedication to children.
@Bobo, your niece is to be lauded. My question is, do those abusing animals get what's coming to them? Ever? I would volunteer to be on the necessary firing squad(s) and I'd supply my own ammo. NO BLANKS for me!
@Bobo- Yikes. I can't imagine being in that situation. What an unbelievable blessing that we have professional heroes willing to provide aid in the worst of circumstances.
And even though you don't get into specifics about what your niece has had to deal with, it takes the wind out of me. Harming children crosses a primal line in my mind, and fills me with rage and the desire to take extreme retribution on behalf of the innocents.
And considering the serious tone these comments have taken, this might be a good time to remind folks that Johnny Optimism is not about mocking people with illnesses or facing horrible situations. Rather, it's about trying to find something to laugh about - even a sick or sad laugh - in the worst of situations. Because such situations are a part of all of our lives.
@JustaJeepGuy- At times like this, I frequently remember the scene in the movie "To Kill a Mockingbird" in which a rabid dog is in the street. Kind and gentle Atticus Finch doesn't hesitate to put the dog down with a single shot- not out of hatred, anger, or a thirst for revenge...but because he's doing what must be done for the safety of his children and others. Those who abuse children are, in my opinion, rabid dogs who should be dealt with - not cruelly, but finally.
Post a Comment