First Aid - Page 2

LC Deputy · 04-27-2012, 08:29

I agree with everyone on here in saying at least you tried. I personally have attempted CPR on 2 people and neither made it. Never gets any easier.

Medic3166 · 05-03-2012, 16:16

Quote:

Originally Posted by JBUS

Went to a drowned 1 year old call. Show up, fire on scene doing CPR. Baby passed away.

I had a hard time. My son was about a year and half old at the time. I didn't sleep for almost 2 days and stayed in his room at night sitting in the rocking chair that my dad used to rock me.

These are the worst.

When I was a kid, I can remember my Mother (also a Paramedic) coming home from work after a pedi-code or a bad MVC involving a child, in tears, and wouldn't let go of me or my sister for a hour. We were pissed that we couldn't ride our bikes in the street for the next two months...

Now that I've been doing this for 10 years, I understand completely. While I still am not emotionally affected by doing CPR on a patient of any age, I am 100% sure that will change in a few years when I start to have kids of my own.

I've been to multiple CISM Debriefings and from what the other Paramedics and Officers have said, they help out a lot.

golls17 · 05-03-2012, 23:04

I've never had to do CPR, but I had an instance where I was one of the last people to talk to a kid before she died.

Mom wanted to report her as a runaway, but knew where she was. I contacted the girl, we told her to go home. She did, then died overnight. I showed up the next morning and the Lt. said to me "your girlfriend's dead." When my shift was over and I drove home, it hit me that I was one of the last 4 or 5 people to see/talk to her. I spent my evening hugging my daughter.

Stuff like that isn't easy, but if we didn't do it, nobody would...

merlynusn · 05-04-2012, 04:51

I am a big proponent of CISM/CISD. They absolutely work very well.

c01 · 05-04-2012, 05:00

Quote:

Originally Posted by merlynusn

I am a big proponent of CISM/CISD. They absolutely work very well.

+1

Sent from my DROIDX

fpgeek · 05-04-2012, 18:32

Quote:

Originally Posted by jmg1170

Had to do CPR on a 2 year old last night. Didnt turn out good. Ironically, My back up was the same Officer it was in the same situation 5 years ago. Bad thing was it turned out the same. Crappy part of the job

Been there and done that several times. If you have sleep problems, talk to someone. Don't let it eat you. As other posters pointed out, this is part of life. You did all you can.

Paul53 · 05-05-2012, 08:01

Everybody dies someday. The lucky ones are the ones who have somebody there to try to save them. Most people don't know CPR or first aid. Take solace in that you went the extra mile and learned those skills, and were there to help.

Every now and then God says "OK, if you feel so strongly about it, I'll give this one a little more time on earth." 30 years as a medic and nurse, and believe more than ever in a higher power, and that he/she notices what we do for our fellow human.

You tried, the final decision is Gods. As a fellow human, thanks.

steveksux · 05-05-2012, 08:36

Its pretty rare that CPR works from what I was told. There's usually a reason the heart stopped, and it just doesn't need a break for a moment, while you beat for it. It doesn't simply to be reminded to beat. Even if you kept them alive to the hospital, there's still that underlying problem that has to be fixed to ensure survival.

Plus you have to almost see them collapse to be there in time to have a reasonable chance of success.

The defibrillator machines they have stashed in public places are probably much more effective.

But if CPR is all you have available, its what you do, its a chance, so you take it.

Sorry you had to go through that, but you should absolutlely not feel guilty, or that you could have done more. You did the best you could have done.

Randy

merlynusn · 05-06-2012, 06:18

Pretty much when I was going through EMT school I was told that pretty much 1/3 of people will die immediately if they go into cardiac arrest, no hope of ever getting them back. The other 2/3s have a chance if you get them appropriate medical care. The defibrillator helps when the heart is in one of the two shockable rhythms, v-fib & v-tach. Asystole (flat line) is not a shockable rhythm, regardless of what is portrayed on TV/Movies. With children, it's typically a breathing issue they have, which leads to cardiac arrest. You can't go very long (4-6 minutes) without oxygen before there is permanent brain damage.