Category Archives: CPR in the News

hands only cpr

Television Shows and Dramas Gives a Wrong Impact of CPR

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When it comes to TV shows and dramas, we watch many fictional things such as zombies, talking animals, people having superpowers and other things. What we actually forget is that they are just a source of entertainment not reality.

These shows focus on a hero very much. Let’s imagine a doctor who was passing by and saw someone having a cardiac arrest. What they show is that the doctor gives him CPR and after that, he feels totally fine. Now the question arises is that should we also react the same way as shown in these dramas?

Dr. Howie Mell who is an emergency room physician in suburban Chicago and also been a paramedic as well as firefighter talked about these shows. He said, “Movies very rarely get it right. They need to create drama and tell a story in a succinct and cohesive manner. That doesn’t always lend itself to an accurate portrayal.”

“Popular culture can play a significant role in patient empowerment,” said Dr. Neil Shulman, humorist as well as the author and associate professor of medicine at Emory University in Atlanta.

These plays show how easy and effective is CPR but in reality, it is not the same. According to the research, people are most likely to have a cardiac arrest outside the hospital. CPR should be given immediately because the probability of survival is high if CPR is immediately given.

Mell said, “In the best circumstances, maybe one or two out of 10 are going to survive. But the public believes it’s 9 out of 10. Hollywood changes the perception.”

CPR Training

One thing is for sure is that to increase the saving rate, people should widespread CPR training. These TV dramas and shows can help by encouraging people for CPR training.

Mell said, “You are far better pushing on the chest of someone who doesn’t need it than standing around trying to decide if it’s necessary.”

In 2015 the American Heart Association included Hands-Only CPR in its guidelines to allow those who don’t know how to give “rescue breaths” — or are uncomfortable doing it — the option to provide only chest compressions until qualified help arrives. (For children, both chest compressions and rescue breaths are still recommended.)

Source: https://www.usnews.com/news/health-news/articles/2019-02-15/aha-news-heart-stopping-drama-of-on-screen-cpr-doesnt-always-reflect-reality

mri scan

MRI CAN SAVE YOUNG PEOPLE FROM DEATH

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In 2012, a 23 years old famous footballer name Fabrice Muamba almost died because of a heart condition.

Recent research shows that through MRI, doctors can check people with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. You never know that warning signs of a heart condition can be deadly but now it can be diagnosed.

The funny part is that people actually didn’t notice this disease until their death (caused by hypertrophic cardiomyopathy).

The reason why it couldn’t be diagnosed earlier because it requires extreme close examination of heart fibers. It could only examine when a patient was dead but not anymore.

Thanks to the researchers at Oxford University, they figured it out that MRI helps in spotting “disarray” in muscle fibers in the heart. This could be a tell-tale sign of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy condition.

‘This is the first time that we’ve been able to assess disarray non-invasively in living patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy,’ said Dr. Rina Ariga, who is an NHS cardiologist as well as a lead author of the research.

‘We’re hopeful that this new scan will improve the way we identify high-risk patients so that they can receive an implantable cardioverter defibrillator early to prevent sudden death.’

If the scan shows tell-tale disarray in someone’s heart muscle fibers then it will be easy to save that person. Doctors can put in a defibrillator which can save someone from cardiac arrest.

There is a probability that patients might live full, long lives without having knowledge that they have this condition.

Muamba collapsed during the game of FA Cup quarter-final match against Tottenham Hotspur. The reason was that he was in the condition for 41 minutes.

The medics came on time and instantly gave him CPR. Muamba needed 15 defibrillator shocks. Two of them were given on the pitch. It was a miracle that he came back from the dead after 78 minutes.

Muamba said, “The last thing I remember was [a defender] screaming at me to get back and help out in defense.”

“I just felt myself falling then I felt two thumps as my head hit the ground in front of me then that was it. Blackness, nothing. I was dead.”

Conclusion

In every week, almost 12 people (age below 35) die because of sudden cardiac arrest in the UK. The researchers of Oxford University found a way to diagnose the disease through MRI.

MRI sends magnetic resonance and creates a rough image of heart fibers. Through those images, doctors have high chance to easily detect the disease and take measurements before something goes wrong.

Source: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-7049309/Breakthrough-scientists-spot-leading-cause-cardiac-arrest-young-people.html

Sydney Ridlehoover

CPR and AED Saved a Teenage Girl from Death

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Cardiac arrest is one of the most dangerous things anyone can experience and almost 366,000 people (in the U.S.) have a cardiac arrest episode outside the hospital every year. The good news is, CPR can help save lives and that’s exactly what happened to one teenage girl in Ohio. Without CPR, her outcome would more than likely have been fatal.

After finishing her chores, Sydney Ridlehoover insisted that her parents take her to the mall. Eventually she convinced them but they didn’t know that the trip would spell disaster.

Sydney’s stepfather, Peter Hubby, and her mother, Tracy Elsinger, took Sydney and her friend to a nearby mall (which was outside Columbus, Ohio). When they reached the mall, both girls quickly got out of the car and walked to the mall, talking and laughing.

Just after a few minutes, Sydney suddenly fell on the ground. Her stepfather thought that she got tripped or might be goofing around, but when she didn’t get up then her parent realized that something is wrong.

They ran towards her and saw her lying on the ground. She was making very strange breathing sounds as well as shaking too. Her mother assumed that she was having a seizure. She started screaming for help and her stepfather called 911 immediately.

Luckily, there was a respiratory therapist nearby. She heard the help cry and immediately responded. At her first glance, she recognized that Sydney was in cardiac arrest. Without wasting time, she began CPR. An EMT (off-duty) was also nearby and heard the help cry as well. He also joined the rescue effort. A mall security officer also joined in. The off-duty EMT asked the mall security officer for an automated external defibrillator.

The security officer quickly brought the AED from his truck. Through AED, the off-duty EMT read a shockable rhythm and also delivered many electrical jolts. This was done to stop the irregular heartbeat that caused Sydney to go through cardiac arrest.

At last, the ambulance arrived.

Sydney rested for two days so that her brain gets some rest. This was done because doctors weren’t able to figure out what thing might have caused her cardiac arrest.

When Sydney woke up, she was acting very strange. Few questions were asked from her and she didn’t answer correctly.

Doctors concluded that it could take more than a couple of days to clear her fogginess and it did happen. The real question was why a 13-year-old go into cardiac arrest?

Testing was done and the result showed a gene mutation – the one she and her mother had in common – that doctors think that it might be connected to cardiac arrest. To ensure protection, the family not only brought AED but also went through CPR training.

For more details visit https://www.heart.org/en/news/2019/04/16/teens-mall-trip-could-have-been-her-last-but-cpr-and-an-aed-saved-the-day