Basic CPR Question

[medicdan]

You need to sign up for a CPR class. If you are looking at entry into EMS, it should be an AHA Healthcare Provider class or ARC CPR for the professional rescuer. All of these questions are covered in the classes. The answers are slightly different depending on whether you are a bystander or an EMS responder.

Agreed. We may be able to give you the right detailed answers, but you dont/wont have the big picture.

When you take a full CPR class, you will learn such things as how to asses a patient for life-threatening injuries, how to properly protect yourself (re: liability and body fluids), how to perform proper breaths, compressions, back blows, abdominal thrusts, etc, and receive a certification.

If you are looking to find a class, check out redcross.org or americanheart.org

Good Luck!

Dan

 

[vquintessence]

No breathing but pulse= no Compressions just breaths if you do compressions you may harm the patient

I believe he was referring to a complete FBAO with an unresponsive pt. Which case, there certainly would be compressions to ideally dislodge the obstuction, regardless of pulse or not for an unconscious/unresponsive pt with complete FBAO. If you give ventilations and they aren't getting past the oropharynx, what good are the ventilations?

The thought/purpose of the chest compressions in this instance is to create a pressure from within that would dislodge the complete FBAO.

CMFMAN, another piece I don't think has been mentioned is that for a pregnant woman (or a very large person) with an complete FBAO, INSTEAD of abdominal thrusts you would do chest thrusts (regardless of being conscious or not). Ya don't want to be slammin on the fetus.

Check out this link:
http://circ.ahajournals.org/cgi/content/full/112/22_suppl/III-5

You'll find it useful, especially if ya decide to get the healthcare provider CPR course like others mentioned. (note the reference it makes to the possible medical complications of abdominal thrusts, just keep it as a reminder NOT to do thrusts UNLESS there is an COMPLETE FBAO.)

Good luck, Happy New Year.

 

[frogtat2]

cpr question

If you look listen and feel and there are no spontaneous respirations, but there is a pulse, it's called respiratory arrest and you bag them (assist ventilations either with a pocket mask or bag valve mask.) Adults can go inot respiratory arrest and not cardiac arrest.

 

[AMRmedic10]

Here's a very quick CPR question. I learned to Look, Listen, & Feel, and then feel for pulse.

In the event that the person if no breathing & there is no pulse, you perform CPR.

What if there is no breathing but the pt has a pulse?
Do you never perform CPR if a pulse is present?

If a pulse is present, but it's not a sufficient pulse, you ABSOLUTELY do compressions. AEDs work because there is a shockable rhythm.
Your instructor should've stressed this in class:
If they're not breathing, they're not getting oxygen... if their heart isn't beating or isn't beating sufficiently, the oxygen isn't going anywhere - which means the brain isn't getting oxygen. SO, if they're not breathing - breathe for them... if their heart isn't beating - beat it for them.

 

[Explorer127]

If you see them go down, hook up the AED right away. If the arrest is unwitnessed, do the cycles first, THEN the AED.







Going by Healthcare Provider CPR level here;

1. Back slaps/chest compressions until the object is dislodged of pt becomes unresponsive.

2. When a pt becomes limp and unresponsive, you ease them to the ground and go right into compressions. After 30 compressions, check the airway, then proceed CPR like normal.

3. After your first set of compressions, check the airway. If you don't see an object, attempt to ventilate, hoping to get some bit of air around the object. Look for chest rise.

4. One of those iffy ones. I was always told ABCs when it comes to 3rd party info. Basically, do CPR like normal... open airway, attempt to ventilate, compressions.

If you have an unresponsive choking victime with a pulse, and you start CPR with the finger sweep, can't they go into traumatic arrest because of the chest compressions?

 

[KEVD18]

If you have an unresponsive choking victime with a pulse, and you start CPR with the finger sweep, can't they go into traumatic arrest because of the chest compressions?

check your cpr guidelines. no more blind sweeps. you can chase what you can see, but no more fishing.

its also highly unlikely that you'll be thrown into commotio cordis/r on t through cpr. its usually caused by a very sudden, very hard impact in a tiny window of oppurtunity.

 

[WFDJustin]

never perform compressions on a patient with a carotid pulse. u need to ventilate your patient until he/she becomes able to breathe on there own or you are turning the patient over where they will then take of ventilations

 

[reaper]

never perform compressions on a patient with a carotid pulse. u need to ventilate your patient until he/she becomes able to breathe on there own or you are turning the patient over where they will then take of ventilations

You may want to recheck your AHA guidelines!

 

[ps23435]

No Pulse Check for Lay CPR

Remember, there is no pulse check for Adult CPR for lay responders; pulse check only on child and infant CPR.

 

[emtfarva]

Okay, so let me get this straight:

No breathing, no pulse: CPR with breathing & compressions
No breathing, pulse: Only breathing, NO compressions

How likely are you to encounter a situation where there is no breathing but a pulse?

A drug overdose caught in time will cause resp failure but the heart will still beat.

Breath for the PT

 

[BossyCow]

A drug overdose caught in time will cause resp failure but the heart will still beat.

Breath for the PT

Choking, spinal injury, and anything that affects the respiratory drive.