My first medical situation

[lampnyter]

It actually is a big deal and I strongly suggest you review the "whys" of how we teach. It also makes me question your instructor course because you did not know this information beforehand. Just voicing an opinion in the hopes it motivates you to go read the research and change your instruction to conform to the guidelines so we can continue to produce properly educated students.

I knew it wasnt protocol to teach them, I just thought it would be useful for them to know. I mean, they take a pulse for a child but not for an adult, if they can do one, why not the other?

 

[jjesusfreak01]

If the two of you are in agreement, then you have obviously not read any of the evidenced based research which led to such changes and if you teach against the protocol, you really should not be an instructor.

Is it because they want to avoid the reluctance to act that may come with checking for a pulse and being unsure?

 

[Sassafras]

Quite honestly the arrest I did last night I did a brief 2 second pulse check (radial which was stupid but it's only my second arrest and I kind of went into radial pulse check like I do on other pts). There was nothing more I could do until my partner got in the room to help me move the pt to the floor (odd positioning of pt) which took a couple more seconds due to distraut family so why not check the pulse? I knew what I was getting ready to do and that's all the information I was able to gather in the moment anyway. No pulse time for CPR and away we went. The bigger problem I see (and yes I'm n00bing here) is keeping the head in a neutral position. Ventilations or not depending on the organization you take CPR with, don't matter if you can't keep the head neutral. I ended up clamping my knees around the head to keep the airway open enough for ventilations to go into the lungs as every chest compression had it flopping forward.

 

[the_negro_puppy]

Quite honestly the arrest I did last night I did a brief 2 second pulse check (radial which was stupid but it's only my second arrest and I kind of went into radial pulse check like I do on other pts). There was nothing more I could do until my partner got in the room to help me move the pt to the floor (odd positioning of pt) which took a couple more seconds due to distraut family so why not check the pulse? I knew what I was getting ready to do and that's all the information I was able to gather in the moment anyway. No pulse time for CPR and away we went. The bigger problem I see (and yes I'm n00bing here) is keeping the head in a neutral position. Ventilations or not depending on the organization you take CPR with, don't matter if you can't keep the head neutral. I ended up clamping my knees around the head to keep the airway open enough for ventilations to go into the lungs as every chest compression had it flopping forward.

I also find maintaining head position difficult. Doing that plus getting a good seal is a challenge. On my first arrest there was so much vomit that even with suction my partner couldn't properly go for an LMA se we used OP + Bag until ICP came and tubed approx 5 minutes later.

Had my 2nd arrest on saturday night, was driving to the airport to pick up a transfer patient and came across a few cars pulled over in a tunnel. We got flagged down and saw a bystander doing one arm cpr to a driver of a car that was sitting up against the wall of the tunnel, they were on phone asking for ambulance as we drove past. We got guy out and started our stuff, but within around 5 mins we had extra units and our medical director on scene (ER trained doctor) No dice again though. Looks like guy had a massive MI while driving,

 

[Sassafras]

We think ours was gone by the time we arrived too. From medic alert button to arrival of first responders was five minutes but we think pt had been down a little bit before daughter found and hit medic alert button. Still warm though. And still sad. Not sure I'll ever completely get over death and not sure I want to.