Unit 12 Emergency Medicine 1 Word Formation 1 re again e g resuscitation 2 cardi o heart 3 pulmon o lung 4 graph instrument e g cardiograph cardiogram 5 therm o temperature 6 pre before e g precordial 2 Questions to consider 1 If someone fainted in front of you what would you do 2 Do you have any knowledge about first aid 3 What do you know about cardiac resuscitation 3 Cardiopulmonary resuscitation wDefinition Cardiopulmonary resuscitation CPR is a procedure to support and maintain breathing and circulation for a person who has stopped breathing respiratory arrest and or whose heart has stopped cardiac arrest Cardiopulmonary resuscitation commonly called CPR combines rescue breathing one person breathing into another person and chest compression in a lifesaving procedure performed when a person has stopped breathing or a person s heart has stopped beating 4 wThe medical term for the condition in which a person s heart has stopped is cardiac arrest also referred to as cardiorespiratory arrest CPR is used on patients in cardiac arrest in order to oxygenate the blood and maintain a cardiac output to keep vital organs alive wIf the patient still has a pulse but is not breathing this is called respiratory arrest and artificial respiration is more appropriate However since people often have difficulty detecting a pulse CPR may be used in both cases especially when taught as first aid 5 Cardiopulmonary resuscitation CPR is an emergency medical procedure for a victim of cardiac arrest or in some circumstances respiratory arrest CPR is performed in hospitals or in the community by laypersons or by emergency response professionals 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 wDescription CPR is part of the emergency cardiac care system designed to save lives Many deaths can be prevented by prompt recognition of the problem and notification of the emergency medical system EMS followed by early CPR defibrillation which delivers a brief electric shock to the heart in attempt to get the heart to beat normally and advanced cardiac life support measures 13 wCPR must be performed within four to six minutes after cessation of breathing so as to prevent brain damage or death It is a two part procedure that involves rescue breathing and external chest compressions To provide oxygen to a person s lungs the rescuer administers mouth to mouth breaths then helps circulate blood through the heart to vital organs by external chest compressions 14 wWhen performed by a bystander CPR is designed to support and maintain breathing and circulation until emergency medical personnel arrive and take over When performed by healthcare personnel it is used in conjunction with other basic and advanced life support measures 15 wAccording to the American Heart Association early CPR and defibrillation combined with early advanced emergency care can increase survival rates for people with a type of abnormal heart beat called ventricular fibrillation by as much as 40 CPR by bystanders may prolong life during deadly ventricular fibrillation giving emergency medical service personnel time to arrive 16 wHowever many CPR attempts are not ultimately successful in restoring a person to a good quality of life Often there is brain damage even if the heart starts beating again CPR is therefore not generally recommended for the chronically or terminally ill or frail elderly For these people it represents a traumatic and not a peaceful end of life 17 18 19 wPurpose When performed quickly enough CPR can save lives in such emergencies as loss of consciousness heart attacks or heart arrests electric shock drowning excessive bleeding drug overdose and other conditions in which there is no breathing or no pulse The purpose of CPR is to bring oxygen to the victim s lungs and to keep blood circulating so oxygen gets to every part of the body When a person is deprived of oxygen permanent brain damage can begin in as little as four minutes and death can follow only minutes later 20 There are three physical symptoms that indicate a need for CPR to be performed immediately and for emergency medical support to be called unconsciousness not breathing and no pulse detected 21 wUnconsciousness Unconsciousness is when the victim seems to be asleep but has lost all awareness and is not able to respond to questions or to touch or gentle shaking An unconscious person will not respond to noise or shaking When unconscious a person can not cough or clear the throat which can block the windpipe and cause suffocation and death People with a major illness or injury or who have had recent surgery are at risk for losing consciousness 22 If the person has fainted which is brief unconsciousness the cause may be dehydration lack of body fluids low blood pressure or low blood sugar This is a temporary condition If the victim is known to have diabetes a bit of fruit juice may revive the person once they have regained consciousness 23 wNot Breathing Not breathing which is also called apnea is the lack of spontaneous bre