Turns out those popular TV images of doctors and nurses racing into hospital rooms to administer electric shocks to patients gripped in cardiac arrest might be a bit, um, optimistic.
A study published in the most recent New England Journal of Medicine reports that one-third of patients didn’t get a jolt from a defibrillator in the recommended two minutes or less, instead waiting sometimes as long as six minutes for doctors to administer help. The delays cause thousands of deaths a year and greatly increase patients’ chances of getting brain damage or other complications, according to the study’s authors.
An editorial in the journal recommended more prevalent on-site defibrillators in hospitals and training for nurses to use them.
Meanwhile, if you’re going to have a heart attack, try to have it at a crowded mall, where someone will notice.
14 Comments
Actually you do NOT want to have a heart attack or any emergency in front of a whole lot of people. You want to have it in front of only a few people. That sounds odd but the chances that any individual will assist you go down when the number of people go up. It is called the theory of diffused responsibility. In large crowds, people often think “somebody else more qualified than me will take care of this” and they don’t get involved. When only a few people are around, there is nobody to diffuse the responsibility to so they will often help you.
Most people don’t come back from CPR anyway.
If people would eat right and exercise, maybe there wouldn’t be such a big need for defibrillators. Less people will die when more people start taking responsibilty for their health by not smoking and overeating.
All the advanced medical technology and highly trained medical personal still can’t save people from themselves.
Same old story the news media trying to break down the best health system in the world so that we can offer Universal health care with no hope.
Lesson here. In one Kansas community, the city council bought defib machines and placed them in every police vehicle’s trunk. The fire department had them in every fire department, and of course when they roll. Don’t assume they do. In one case, we had a wife, whose husband had a heart attack in the car - drove to a nearby fire station, knowing there was a defib in place. Saved his life.
Also installed them in all city owned buildings, the malls, and major attraction locations. (Shared cost with private business/multi-unit discounts on purchases).
These machines are not too expensive for a city to afford. They now provide step-by-step instructions (in spanish too (ho hum), for ANY citizen to operate the machines - although where mounted, someone working in the business/building were trained in the operation (and CPR of course).
We spend millions to save cowtowns, but there is no question this cost is beneficial to all citizens. Particularly with a growing aging population.
Hey, you can’t expect those docs to check on the guy’s insurance and go through his wallet in two minutes! At least ten. These docs are really busy.
AW, it’s my understanding these portable heart shockers do NOT restart a heart that has stopped beating.
They are effective at stabilizing someone with a defribulating heart that is beating irregularly, and bring back a normal heartbeat.
Still, this device is a lifesafer. But not in all heart attack situations.
Mary, arent you by your own admission fat?
Mary
They need to teach people that, at Red Cross and EMT CPR classes.
The survival rate for CPR patients is very low.
The PTSD, for those who deliver, is very high.
Well that was very disturbing information. My husband past away Oct second from a heart attack. He had one two months prior the EMT arrived within seven minutes and was able to revive him. After his stay in he hospitol he was on the road to recovery and past his stress test two weeks prior to his last heart attack with flying colors. So when he had another one it was a big shock. I knew in my heart when the EMT arrived most likely it would be his last. I have to applaud the EMT in Wichita, they again arrived within seven minutes and worked as hard as they could to revive Michael, wether or not the paddles were used in the right intervals or not I do not know. What I do know is that they did not want him do die either. I saw the tears in there eyes as well. I did cpr before they arrived myself, as hard as it is, sometimes it is just time for our loved ones to go. My husband was Fiftynine years old and an amazing man. As much as I would of loved the EMT to save him, they did beyond thier best to bring him back to me. And I just want to say thankyou to all of you that work so hard to save us when we are in need of help. Thank you all. Allyson Redd
“Rev”..I’m working on it!
I need to clean up my own act, that’s for sure! I eat at too many fast food places because when I work I’m in my car and it’s so easy to grab a bite at a drive through. It takes effort to exercise on a regular basis because of my work schedule, but I’m trying.
The thing I find so frustrating is that I never had a problem with weight until I hit my 50s, now it’s so easy to put on the pounds..when before I could eat whatever I want and not worry about it too much…I guess it’s just nature’s way of getting us old geezers off the earth quicker to make room for the young ones!
My goal is to get back in shape by summer so I won’t drop over when I strap 40lbs of scuba gear on my back.
Allyson..you have my heartfelt sympathies. My husband is 58 and is genetically predisposed to cardiovascular disease. His mom has had 3 strokes, his dad died in his 60s from coronary disease after several heat attacks. David isn’t overweight, has never smoked, and he works out a lot..but he still has such trouble with his blood pressure. All we can do is just treat cardiovascular diseases aggressively with medication in addition to the healthy lifestyle and even that’s no guarantee against an early death.
That’s why I believe it’s so important to live in the here and now and cherish each day we have, because none of us know when out time will come.
I’ll keep you in my thoughts and prayers.
I have been a firefighter/paramedic/educator for more then 35 years, semi-retired now. Several mentioned the low save rate for cardiac arrest and it is true, worse then most would imagine, you have an 85-98% chance at not surviving.
But this is changing!!! Those numbers have been the norm for more then 10 years. With discoveries made in the last 5 years we have nearly doubled the “CPR only” save rate to nearly 30% in some communities using an improved method that will likely become the standard in 2009 when we review the international standards next.
If an AED is available within 3 minutes from the time they start the rhythm that 85% plus of cardiac arrest victims start in the numbers flip and we can save 70-90%! (Even a fire engine next door would have a hard time getting there THAT quickly (by the time you figure out there is a problem, call 911, get the information to the crew, get the equipment inside and set up)The AED needs to be close and immediatly available. That is why all the new laws mandating them. These devices have a real cost of 900-1500 dollars in most cases though most still buy more expensive models because we all know the more money you spend the better something is (so not true always!)
This hospital study is a good case in point… on each floor is a “crash cart” with a defibrillator that costs 9,000 to 22,000 dollars. Only RNs with special certification (ACLS) or doctors can use the machine — not just any RN and no LPNs or CNAs. The defibrillator is there in time, but they ust often wait for an RN with the ACLS rating or a doctor to get there to operate it.
They could by 22 AEDs for the price of one of these specialized defibrillators and ANY RN as well as the LPNs, CNA, and even the housekeeper and patient’s kids can safely and effectivly operate it!
I am not suggesting non medical people use them in a hospital, but we have seen 6th graders save lives outside the hospital with them and you can not hurt anybody with them if you follow the simple directions.
I am sorry for the loss of those we could not save but we ARE working on it to try and make that happen less then it currently does, how sad we could not have been there in tie for your husband.
Thank you for your thoughts, I hope that people do take heed in taking care of themselves I know we never think it can happen to us but unfortunatly it does. I hope that we all will cherish every moment we have with our loved ones because we can not bring it back once it is gone. Every day should be taken as our last we should never be able to to say if I had only known it was there last day. My thoughts and prayers are with you as well Mary, I hope that your husband will be well for a very long time. Thank yo again for your kind thoughts.