DACPR makes a difference

There is a growing body of evidence that Dispatcher-Assisted CPR can make a significant difference in cardiac arrest survival rate. By JERILYN FORSYTHE Cronkite News Service Longtime Mesa 911 operator LeAnn McLaws was skeptical at first. After 17 years of asking callers if they wanted to start giving CPR to a cardiac arrest victim, the department told her and others last fall to stop asking and begin telling: “I need you to start CPR.” “They’re very excited, they’re wanting help and you have to bring their focus to it,” McLaws said of the process of walking callers through CPR. “We are assertive … and have a calm voice and say, ‘This is what you’re doing,’ and not give them the option.” That seemingly simple change saved 13 lives from November to January in Mesa alone, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services, and McLaws is now a believer.

Here's what you need to focus upon

http://keranews.org/post/more-north-texans-surviving-sudden-cardiac-arrest

This is worth reading.

We're not paying attention to the data, folks.

Fact: two thirds of all cardiac arrests in the U.S.A. occur in the home. (First five years of CARES data)

Fact: average survival rate in the U.S.A. is 7+% ("survival" is defined as getting discharged from the hospital with CPC=1 or 2. A score of "1" means no neurological damage; "2" means some damage, but still able to perform the activities of daily living without assistance.)

Fact: any bystander involvement can raise the survival percentage into the low-to-mid-twenties. (recent 29,000+ cohort Danish study.)

Fact: the Phoenix Airport CPC=1 or 2 survival rate for witnessed cardiac arrests has averaged 75% for ten years.

When you see an out-of-hospital sudden cardiac arrest - and there's a fourteen percent chance that you will at least once in your lifetime - there is a greater than 85% chance that the victim will be a family member, a friend, or an associate. That means that we each have a greater than ten percent chance of seeing a family member, friend, or associate die - at least once in our lifetime.

When that happens, you will call 911 and unlock the front door, if you are at home. If this is all you do, the ambulance will usually arrive in 8-12 minutes (that's probably 10-14 minutes after the victim arrested, because of the time it takes to figure out what's going on, the time it takes to call 911, and the time it takes for 911 to figure out which ambulance is to respond, and for that ambulance to get rolling.) If this is the scenario that unfolds, the victim will have about a 7% chance of getting out of the hospital with at least major brain functions intact. (If the arrest happened at home, the odds drop to 4% if witnessed or 2% if either not witnessed or not recognized as being a cardiac arrest by those present.)

Thus, the first major battle to win is that of making your home more like the Phoenix Airport. I'm not talking about putting runway lights on the sidewalk and driveway. What I'm talking about is:

1. Get trained in Bystander CPR so that you will be able to recognize a cardiac arrest when you witness one and will be able to react appropriately.
2. Get a personal AED. Keep it in a place where you can get to it quickly - for example, while you're hurrying to unlock the front door while you are calling 911 on your portable or cell phone. If you have a personal AED, you will be able to use it before the ambulance even starts rolling, and using the AED within a minute or two or three of the arrest carries a far, far higher probability of a good outcome. The best the ambulance is going to be able to do is 10-14 minutes.
3. Practice what you are going to do, and keep your training current.

If you cannot find a CPR class, go to www.slicc.org, click on the "For Past Trainees" link in the left-hand column, and download the class video. 

If you want to survive, have an AED nearby. My wife and I do.

Retired firefighters use AED to save golfer

By GEORGIA ZERMENO, Reporter, The Friday Flyer

---

• 1
• 2

Article

Comments (0)

Email

Print

"It was about 4:15 or 4:30 p.m.," says Liz Hefferon. "I was picking my husband up after he completed a game of golf, and we went into the clubhouse for a drink – that's when it happened."

A moment that changed some lives, a moment that saved another's life.

According to Golf Course employee Ian Nelson, he was working the desk when someone opened the door and yelled, "Call 911, we have someone down on the 18th hole!"

Ian immediately called 911 and gave them the location, had someone watch the desk and headed out to see how he could help.

Ian says what he witnessed was amazing. "They were doing CPR, then they did the defibrillator. The guy was blue, lifeless, and then suddenly he took a gasp of air. They saved his life."

A mix of the right people at the right place, at the right time, with knowledge of resources around them, saved the life of golfer Dave Roscoe on Monday, April 30.

The heroes were three retired firefighters and one former employee and his wife sitting at the bar, getting a refresher after their game of golf. Jim Brown, retired captain/paramedic from Ontario Fire Department, looked out the window and saw a man performing CPR on another man on the 18th hole. Witnesses say he yelled out that a man was down on the green and to call 911 as he headed out the door. Bill Trembly, retired captain for Santa Barbara City Fire, along with Jerry Hefferon, jumped off their seats to head out with him.

"Grab the defibrillator guys, its behind the register," yelled Jerry's wife Liz. The men grabbed the AED (automatic external defibrillator) and ran down the grass. The bartender called 911. The third firefighter, Bill Iverson, a retired Orange County firefighter, headed out to meet the Riverside County firefighters to help direct them in.

According to Bill Trembly, when he got to the area where Dave Roscoe was, Jim Brown had taken over the CPR from Dave's friend, Mark Bora, who had been doing CPR for a few minutes already. Since he wasn't confident the AED machine was the same as what he was used to, Bill took over CPR and handed the machine to Jim. Jim began the defibrillation, administering the controlled electric shock in order to allow restoration of the normal rhythm of the heart.

"It saved his life," Bill says. "He didn't have a pulse, he wasn't breathing, I don't think he would have made it without the AED."

Asked the question, "Now that you have seen it work, do you think the AED was easy to use?" Bill responded, "Definitely, it told us everything to do step by step." He acknowledge that Jim, being a paramedic, knew what to do anyway, but Bill is confident anyone could use the machine.

By the time Fire Engine 94 arrived, Dave was awake and asking questions. Jim gave a quick report to the crew and the guys returned to the clubhouse.

Witness Terry O'Rouke sent a Letter to the Editor to acknowledge the heroes and Travis Montgomery made a call to the paper to share the miraculous story.

Jim Brown's wife, Gerri, said, "He was just so calm about it, it's what he does." She told The Friday Flyer he had just left town and was unable to do an interview, but she agreed the men were heroes and that "firefighters are just amazing."

Liz Hefferon was asked how she knew the machine was there. "When my husband worked there, they were all trained on it, we were all made aware where it was, and how easy it is to use! I was happy I remembered."

Dave's friend Mark stopped by the Pro Shop to update the staff on the condition of his friend. When asked how he was doing, he responded "He's alive!" Mark shared that his friend is in ICU and is being treated for an irregular heartbeat, but is in good hands.

The importance of AEDs have been the topic in communities, school settings, recreational parks and business offices for years. Medical personnel continuously advocate for everyone to invest in taking a CPR class in which training on AEDs is included.

Canyon Lake residents should be aware that, within the community, the POA has purchased a total of six AED stations. The machines are located at the Country Club, Lodge, POA office, Campground, Senior Center and the Pool. City Manager Lori Moss announced that the City will be purchasing two more to be placed in the Special Enforcement vehicles and on Marine Patrol boats during the summer months.

Residents are encouraged to take note when entering the above facilities to see where the device is located. Emergency Preparedness Committee President Nancy Carroll has scheduled a CPR/First Aid Class for June 1, and is hoping to provide both a daytime class and evening class.

...and that's why you need an AED at every athletic event and practice!

Coaches Credited With Saving Student’s Life

April 26, 2012 12:06 AM

Reporting Carol Cavazos

GARLAND (CBSDFW.COM)- A couple of Garland High School coaches are credited with helping to save a player’s life after he collapsed during an indoor drill last week.

It turns out, the student had an undiagnosed heart problem. Doctors at Medical City Children’s Hospital implanted a defibrillator in his chest Wednesday. Now, everyone is breathing easier.

By all accounts, Richard Young was healthy. He was 15-years-old. He was a freshman on the Garland High School football team, #82.

So, it was a shock when he collapsed during an indoor drill at school last Wednesday, April 18th.

It happened around 1 o’clock in the afternoon. He and his teammates were just beginning their conditioning exercises when Richard collapsed.

Teammates were the first to see Richard fall. They alerted a coach.

Coach Jeff Middleton remembers thinking, “It looked like he was having a seizure.”

He wasn’t. His heart stopped pumping – the result of a rare, previously undiagnosed congenital heart defect.

Scott Smith, the school’s Athletic Trainer said, “And then, he almost acted like he wasn’t breathing at all.”

“That was a scary point. When you’re sitting there looking at a young teenage kid who’s supposed to be in good physical condition, laying on the ground not breathing,” Coach Middleton said.

The coaches performed CPR on Richard and brought over the school’s Automated External Defibrillator. The machine was still analyzing Richard when the paramedics arrived.

“It’s one of those deals where you hope it doesn’t happen to you. Hopefully, you’re prepared when it does happen,” Coach Smith said.

Richard doesn’t remember much. He only knows this.

“They said I almost died. So, I feel kind of blessed,” he said.

His mother, Tina Young, does too.

“They said it could have easily happened when he was asleep, when he was at home playing with his dad or with one of his sisters or even being with me. We could’ve been at the grocery store somewhere and it could’ve happen. So, I’m
thankful it happened the way it did and at the time that it did.”

To keep it from happening again, doctors at Medical City Children’s Hospital implanted a defibrillator inside his chest.

“It makes contact with the heart muscle itself and then it provides a little bit of an electrical stimulus if it senses an abnormal heart rhythm,” Dr. Stromberg said.

Dr. Stromberg said they’re looking at two things in particular that may have caused the problem.

“One is a heart rhythm problem or a problem with the conduction system or the electrical system of the heart. And, the other is a primary heart muscle problem,” Dr. Stromberg said.

Richard should be back on his feet in about a week.

“It’ll be a good day to see him walking the halls at school,” Coach Middleton said.

Coach Smith said something like this has never happened in his 24 years at Garland High School. But, he knows it can happen anywhere. He’s urging people to learn CPR

Car seats, I'd bet.

CDC: Accidental death rates for children drop nearly 30% [ed: that's 26.6%]
Death rates from unintentional injuries among U.S. children and teens dropped 29% from 2000 to 2009. The total number of deaths dropped from about 12,400 to about 9,100, CDC researchers reported. However, the report found that the death rate for accidental poisonings rose 91% among those age 15 to 19 due to abuse of prescription drugs, and accidental infant suffocation deaths increased 54%. The Wall Street Journal/Health blog (4/16), Los Angeles Times/Booster Shots blog

Ely rugby player saved after bystander CPR

Tuesday, 10 April 2012 14:52

Alan Turpie suffered a cardiac arrest on Saturday afternoon whilst playing for Ely Tigers at Shelford. He was resuscitated on the pitch by team mates before paramedics arrived.

Gary Spitzer, of the East of England Ambulance Service (EEAS), said: "I'd like to thank the patient's team-mates who gave us fantastic support at the scene. Their concern for their friend was clear and they helped us in every way they could."

The EEAS also said it had given instructions on how to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) to Turpie's team mates.

Turpie's heart stopped due to a suspected blood clot and he collapsed. Thankfully the actions of his team mates were enough to keep him alive until the paramedics arrived and Turpie's heart started beating again before he was taken to hospital. He was struggling to breath by himself so doctors put him in to an induced coma and transferred him to Papworth where he was operated on.

A statement on the Ely Tigers website later said that Turpie was awake and talking in hospital, and that no permanent damage had been caused to his heart.

This story proves just how vital CPR training is and, unfortunately, that sudden cardiac arrest can strike at any time and at people of all ages.

You can be proactive and prepare for the event of a sudden cardiac arrest by finding out about our CPR Training, looking at our defibrillator packages for sport or supporting funded defibrillators for schools.