A few days ago, a certain video went viral. There was a lot of panic, confusion, sobs and a frantic effort to save the situation failed. At the end of the tohubohu, a young man passed on, he had drowned in a public swimming pool in the presence of quite a few people; and from the video, no one on site knew how to revive him.
This brought back memories of a personal experience I had over a decade ago, a young man drowned at the pool of a hotel in Ikoyi- Lagos Nigeria. When the life guard brought him out, he was lifeless. There was an attempt to get a cab to rush him to the nearest hospital. I prevented them from completing the death process (the window period for intervention had almost elapsed). I administered CPR and within 5 minutes he was revived. When he became conscious, he sounded like someone who just had an “out of body experience”. He was fortunate but most people in the same situation are not. There are many conditions apart from drowning that lead to cardiac arrest, but the technique of CPR remains the same irrespective of the cause.
Cardiac arrest is also called cardio pulmonary arrest, it is a sudden cessation of the heart function, breathing and consciousness. This gives the brain a window period of 4-6 minutes after which if early, effective cardio pulmonary resuscitation is not given to the victim by competent hands, death occurs.
CPR has been proven to be an essential lifesaving skill and it involves two components:
1.) Chest compressions: this helps to pump blood to the heart and from the heart to vital organs especially the brain.
2.) Rescue breaths: The artificial breath helps to give oxygen to the body through the lungs. The human brain is the largest consumer of oxygen in the body and when deprived of adequate supply it begins the death process and this process when completed is irreversible.
Key things to note about Cardiac arrest and CPR:
A) During cardiac arrest, the blood pressure drops from the normal range (100-139mmHg Systolic) to Zero (0mmHg). This means that blood is no longer pumped to vital organs and oxygen does not get to these organs.
B) CPR and the use of the AED is the only procedure known to counteract the arrest.
C) If CPR is not done within 5-10 minutes the chances of recovery are minimal.
D) Cardiac arrest does not discriminate based on gender, age and social status; if help fails to show up the result is death.
E) Previously healthy people who have a cardiac arrest would need rapid intervention just as much as a very ill person would.
F) There are two mechanisms by which the heart functions- mechanical and electrical. CPR is used to rectify the mechanical need while the Automated External Defibrillator (AED) is used to correct the electrical need. Please note that CPR and the use of the AED should happen simultaneously.
G) CPR was described in 1960 by Kouwenhoven Jude and Knicker bocker and the procedure has been improved upon over the years and millions have been saved worldwide when properly done.
WHO NEEDS CPR TRAINING? Everyone
Less than one percent of Nigerians know how to do Cardio- pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) and many of those who have an idea have not upgraded their knowledge or refreshed their skills.
As many people as possible need to learn this procedure, from the health worker, to the life guards. From the domestic servants and nannies, to the employer and employees at work. The child care givers and hotel personnel cannot be left out, the security personnel and fitness trainers are included.
Every person who has any cardiac disease should have their staff, family members and drivers trained too. Event planners of large meetings should have trained life savers at such events. This entails individual and collective responsibility.
Emergencies often don’t give notices, they come when least expected at the most “inconvenient” of times. If we fail to plan, then we plan to fail. For the sake of our spouses, parents, children, staff, clients and for our own sakes; we need to get as many people as possible to learn this essential skill. Every life is invaluable, and there is no second chance if the window of intervention elapses. Can you do CPR?
About Dr Kayode Solomon
He is an emergency room physician certified by the American Heart Association. He is a certified trainer for first aid, CPR and related courses and he has trained over 4,000 people till date. He has over a decade experience in the medical field and he is the Medical Director of Emergency. Dr Kayode graduated from the College of Medicine University of Lagos and an executive MBA from Metropolitan Business School United Kingdom.
Connect:
Twitter: @er_helpcenter
Facebook: Emergency Rescue Company
Website: emergencyrescue.com.ng
Dr. Kayode Solomon,
Thank you very much for this very important recommendation. I learnt to give CPR about 5 years ago and recently updated my knowledge with Pennsylvania State University. Honestly, I think this training should be implemented nationwide.
I would be glad to meet you, sir.