CPR: Separating Fact From Fiction

CPR: Separating Fact From Fiction

Some 70 percent of Americans either don't know or have forgotten how to administer this lifesaving measure (and I wouldn't be surprised if this stat was similar in Australia and elsewhere around the world).

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation, or CPR, is an emergency procedure performed on a person who has no pulse or is not breathing as a result of cardiac arrest.

The maneuver combines chest compressions with rescue mouth-to-mouth breathing to keep oxygen-rich blood circulating in the body until the heart resumes pumping. In addition to calling 911/000 for help and getting an automated external defibrillator, bystander CPR is one of the most important early responses in cases of sudden collapse and loss of consciousness due to cardiac arrest. Ample evidence shows that CPR can save lives and improve neurologic outcomes in survivors.

Yet, the American Heart Association estimates that some 70 percent of Americans either don't know or have forgotten how to administer this lifesaving measure.

Most cardiac arrests occur among acutely ill, hospitalized patients, but of cardiac arrest cases that occur outside the hospital, the vast majority strike at home. So learning CPR can save a loved one's or a stranger's life.

There are several persistent misconceptions that discourage many people from learning CPR. Here are some of the most common CPR myths debunked.

Fiction: Cardiac arrest is the same as a heart attack.

Fact: The two conditions are not the same. A cardiac arrest is a sudden, unexpected cessation of heart function that occurs when there is an electrical disturbance in the heart that causes it to stop beating altogether or makes it quiver weakly and inefficiently, interrupting life-sustaining blood flow to the brain. A heart attack is caused by a blockage in blood flow to the heart muscle. While a heart attack could, in some cases, lead to cardiac arrest, they are decidedly not the same.

Fiction: People who need CPR are usually older and sicker.

Fact: This is definitely a myth, and a dangerous one. Cardiac arrest can strike anyone and everyone, regardless of age, gender or race. In fact, many victims of cardiac arrest have no history of medical problems.

Fiction: CPR for infants, children and adults is exactly the same.

Fact: Although the basic steps in adult and pediatric CPR are similar, there are nuances that are important to learn during a training course. For example, children require less forceful chest compressions and rescue breaths.

Fiction: Bystanders can be sued for performing CPR if they hurt the victim.

Fact: Wrong. While unintentional injuries, like breaking of the ribs, can occur in the process of administering a lifesaving maneuver, so-called Good Samaritan laws protect those who provide emergency medical assistance.

Fiction: Mouth-to-mouth resuscitation is mandatory.

Fact: Not true. Rescue breaths should be given with a barrier device, but if one is not available, chest compressions alone can and should be performed. CPR that solely involves chest compressions can be just as effective as standard CPR. In fact, the American Heart Association has recommended chest-compression-only CPR for adults since 2008.

Fiction: CPR always works.

Fact: Sadly, far from it. The pop culture narrative of CPR, fueled by fictional portrayals in film and television, is that it invariably brings cardiac arrest victims back to life. In reality, the survival rate for out-of-hospital cardiac arrests is less than 10 percent. However, CPR could boost survival rate by up to 30 percent if the maneuver is started immediately and followed by electric shocks delivered with a defibrillator.

Fiction: CPR is only a matter of life-or-death.

Fact: There's more to CPR than bringing a person back to life. During a cardiac arrest, victims have minimal supply of oxygenated blood traveling to the brain, which could cause rapid brain cell death and irreversible neurologic damage. Cardiac arrest survivors with brain damage can suffer devastating injuries that leave them speechless or immobilized. In addition to saving lives, CPR can reduce the risk of neurologic injury or minimize its extent.

Fiction: CPR is like riding a bike. Once you learn it, you will never forget it.

Fact: Since it was first performed in 1740, CPR has evolved to keep up with new insights about human physiology. The steps and techniques have been updated as we learn more and more about how to improve survival. This is why taking recertification classes once every two years is so important.

Fiction: I can get certified by taking an online course or watching a video.

Fact: Videos and online modules are valuable resources that cover the basics of CPR and can reach countless people. One study even found that people who view CPR instructional videos are far more likely to attempt resuscitation. However, CPR certification and recertification require an in-person training session.

Fiction: There are only a handful of places to obtain CPR training.

Fact: Decidedly wrong. Because of CPR's critical importance, classes are offered widely and frequently. The American Heart Association and Red Cross websites list CPR training locations by geographic area.

Original article can be found here: http://health.usnews.com/health-news/patient-advice/articles/2015/07/08/cpr-separating-fact-from-fiction

Learn more about the LUCAS 2 Automatic CPR Machine and how it operates

In this video you will learn more about the LUCAS 2 automatic CPR machine. As someone who survived a massive heart attack that included full on cardiac arrests and 29 resuscitations/cardioversions I can totally identify with just how beneficial this machine can be.

The LUCAS Chest Compression System is designed to deliver uninterrupted compressions at a consistent rate and depth to facilitate ROSC (return of spontaneous circulation). It delivers automated compressions from first response in the field to ambulance transport and throughout the hospital. LUCAS facilitates consistent blood flow from the moment it is turned on, helping to improve a patient's chance for a successful outcome. With LUCAS, defibrillation can occur during ongoing compressions that can prime the heart for a successful shock. Also continuous compressions help maintain coronary perfusion pressure needed to facilitate ROSC. 

· Effective, consistent and uninterrupted compressions according to current AHA guidelines

· Maintain good blood flow

· Increasing operational effectiveness

· Easy to use and efficient to own

· Keep personnel safe during CPR 

You now have the choice between an air driven and battery powered LUCAS device. The original LUCAS 1, is a pnuematically-driven device and requires no electrical supply for operation. It is powered by compressed air from a portable compressed air cylinder or wall outlet. LUCAS 2 runs off of Lithium-ion Polymer battery technology, which has a long shelf life and requires no test-cycle maintenance. Both devices are equally easy to use and are designed to deliver uninterrupted compressions at a consistent rate and depth to facilitate ROSC.

Improving Operations in the Field 

Reduce the number of EMTs or firefighters to assist with CPR during a cardiac emergency 
Provide continuous, effective compressions, helping to maintain good circulation in the patient while medics remain seat-belted for better safety in a mobile environment 
Simple and easy to use with minimal training, keeping the cost of ownership low
For the clinically progressive agency 

Deliver chest compressions according to the guidelines -- ensuring compressions continue uninterrupted at a consistent depth to facilitate ROSC
Work in tandem with cooling therapies or impedance threshold devices for a comprehensive approach to patient resuscitation
Deliver effective, consistent, uninterrupted chest compressions and can help effectively manage the code scene while helping the patient to maintain good circulation
Help maintain coronary perfusion pressure without interruption which is crucial to improving patient outcomes 
Enable the intervention to continue in the event of a cardiac arrest in the cath lab by providing consistent, guidelines-quality chest compressions, which facilitates blood circulation to supply oxygen to vital organs.

LUCAS™ CPR - Automatic CPR Machine saving lives

LUCAS™ CPR

Keeping the flow up

In order to be able to save the lives of sudden cardiac arrest patients and avoid neurological damage, a steady supply of oxygen to the heart and brain is necessitated. Life-sustaining circulation can be created through effective and uninterrupted chest compressions. 

Performing manual chest compressions of high quality is both difficult and tiring, and impossible in certain situations. The quality varies depending on who provides CPR and  deteriorates quickly after only one, two minutes.

LUCAS™ - standardising the quality of chest compressions

The LUCAS™ Chest Compression System is a safe and efficient tool that standardises chest compressions in accordance with the latest scientific guidelines. It provides the same quality for all patients and over time, independent of transport conditions, rescuer fatigue, or variability in the experience level of the caregiver. By doing this, it frees up rescuers to focus on other life-saving tasks and creates new rescue opportunities.

Safe and effective

Experimental studies show that the mechanically controlled LUCAS™ compressions are able to sustain a higher blood flow to the brain and heart compared to manual compressions. The side-effects are similar as for manual compressions. LUCAS™ does compressions according to guidelines - on the middle of the chest, not more, not less.

Easy and quick

The LUCAS device is easy to carry and handle, and can be applied to the patient with interruptions of manual compressions of less than 20 seconds. 

LUCAS™2

Now electrically powered, the life-saving medical device offers the most compact, lightweight and portable solution to maintain circulation in cardiac arrest patients.

Link to this article and more information: http://www.lucas-cpr.com/en/lucas_cpr/lucas_cpr

See this machine in operation in an interview with heart attack survivor Graeme Webb. http://www.9jumpin.com.au/show/mornings/videos/4327426121001/

Brought back to life after heart stops beating for 40 minutes

An incredible story worth posting here which highlights the importance of new, modern technology in dealing with someone having a heart attack.

From The Daily Telegraph, June 25, 2015

"GRAEME WEBB was clinically dead for more than 40 minutes after suffering a heart attack and going into cardiac arrest in the emergency department at Liverpool Hospital.

Graeme Webb with emergency physician Trudi Davis (right) who led the resuscitation and clinical nurse Kathryn Spears who looked after Graeme's wife Alison during the ordeal. Photo: Jonathan Ng

An emergency staff member performed CPR on the father of two for six minutes until an automatic chest compression device was connected to do it automatically.

This allowed staff the time to transport him to the cardiac catheterisation laboratory for emergency surgery.

While Mr Webb was connected to the LUCAS 2 machine, interventional cardiologist Christian Mussap said a coronary angioplasty was performed and a blocked artery scented.

“We achieved a truly amazing outcome considering the situation,” Dr Mussap said.

“Mr Webb is extremely lucky to be alive.”

The saga began when Mr Webb was driving home to Hammondville from work on March 30. He rang wife Alison and said he wasn’t feeling well.

“I got home, then had this tingling sensation in my mouth,” he said.

“I called an ambulance ... it was 1.19pm on my phone ... I remember looking at the time ... then I called my wife and told her. I remember the ambulance arriving, walking out and hopping in, I remember the ride, but after that, I don’t remember much at all until a few days later.”

Emergency Department Staff Specialist Trudi Davis was part of the team that kept Mr Webb alive and said had it not been for the machine Mr Webb would have sustained a severe brain injury.

“It makes things possible that weren’t before,” Dr Davis said.

“Within seconds after Graeme went into cardiac arrest, a large amount of senior doctors were around him.

“We were continually doing CPR and giving him electric shocks and medication but his heart wouldn’t start.

“He had shown subtle indicators that he would be OK. When you go into cardiac arrest, there are progressing heart rhythms — Mr Webb’s stayed in the first one — which gave him a better chance of survival and less likely to have brain damage.

“As he was being transferred into surgery, we gave his heart one more shock ... it started to beat.”

The machine, which is currently only available in seven NSW hospitals, was removed for the catheter surgery.

“The cardiologist was as shocked as all of us that Mr Webb was awake the next day and speaking,” Dr Davis said.

“We all agree that if it had been another time or another hospital, he’d be dead.”

Dubbed the Miracle Man, Mr Webb said he was embarrassed to carry the title and felt the miracle lay within the hospital.

“The staff at Liverpool — they’re the miracle,” he said.

“The only thing I can say is ‘thank you’.”

After waking up, doctors and staff asked Mr Webb if he suffered chest pains or any other signs of a heart attack.

“It’s like my body was doing me a favour and shutting down so I didn’t experience the heart attack or cardiac arrest ... I have no knowledge of it,” Mr Webb said.

“Afterwards I was upset. I was a wreck. I was like it for a few weeks.”

Mr Webb said it was a real scare, especially for his 19-year-old son Matt and 18-year-old daughter Sarah.

“How they feel, you can’t put into words. That was one of the things. I hated putting them through that,” he said.

“You see how easy it is to be taken from your family and friends. I don’t take things for granted like I used to. It definitely makes you appreciate what you’ve got.

“You don’t expect to have a heart attack. Even when I woke up, I had no idea what had happened or how much time I’d lost.

“I wouldn’t have even know that I had a blocked artery. I’m a typical male, I didn’t go to the doctor as much as I should have.”

Mr Webb celebrated his 52nd birthday two weeks after his experience and said he spent it “very quietly”.

Mr Webb is now looking forward to returning to work as a data manager with Australia Post, a job he has held for more than 30 years.

“When I wake up in the morning now, I feel grateful,” he said.

The $21,000 LUCAS 2 machine which brought him back to life was donated earlier this year by three hospital auxiliaries — Busby, Liverpool Hospital and Moorebank-Chipping Norton.

Hospital general manager Robynne Cooke thanked the auxiliaries for the donation.

“This is a great example of fundraising by our auxiliaries really making a difference to the lives of our patients and to the services we are able to provide,” Ms Cooke said.

“We are extremely grateful for their ongoing generosity and support. It clearly does make a difference.”"

Read the original story using this link:
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/newslocal/south-west/brought-back-to-life-after-heart-stops-beating-for-40-minutes/story-fngr8hxh-1227411171329

Listen to the story and see this machine in operation in an interview with Graeme Webb. http://www.9jumpin.com.au/show/mornings/videos/4327426121001/

Mechanical CPR is Producing Resuscitation Results Beyond Expectations

This is indeed interesting and exciting news:

"The Memphis Fire Department (MFD) and Richmond (Va.) Ambulance Authority (RAA) have a lot in common. Both services are innovators in EMS, have an enthusiastic staff that continues to implement ways to improve the care they render to their patients and both have been searching for ways to improve their resuscitation success rates.

Each also believes they’ve found that way by implementing mechanical CPR in their agency. MFD uses the Physio-Control LUCAS 2 chest compression system and RAA uses the ZOLL AutoPulse non-invasive cardiac support pump.

Though they’re using different devices, their results have been dramatic and have convinced their medical and administrative leadership that mechanical CPR offers many benefits over manual CPR, not the least of which is the ability to maintain consistent and uninterrupted CPR—a key ingredient in the successful resuscitation and discharge of patients neurologically intact from the receiving hospital.

MFD and RAA are both keenly aware that sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) is a leading cause of death among adults over the age of 40 in the United States, that approximately 424,000 people experience EMS-assessed out-of-hospital nontraumatic SCA annually (more than 1,000/day) and nine out of 10 victims currently die.

The number of people who die each year from SCA is roughly equivalent to the combined number of people who die from Alzheimer’s disease, assault with firearms, breast cancer, cervical cancer, colorectal cancer, diabetes, HIV, house fires, motor vehicle accidents, prostate cancer and suicides combined.

SCA can be best impacted by early intervention with cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), defibrillation, advanced cardiac life support, therapeutic hypothermia and other measures of comprehensive post-resuscitation care.

When bystanders intervene by providing early, high-quality CPR and using automated external defibrillators (AEDs) before EMS arrives, four out of 10 victims survive.

This article will detail the path each service has taken to success in implementing mechanical CPR on their frontline ambulances."

You can read the full article by clicking on this link: http://www.jems.com/article/patient-care/mechanical-cpr-producing-resuscitation-r

The merits of mechanical CPR: http://www.jems.com/article/patient-care/merits-mechanical-cpr