Cpr

Ninety-six minutes of CPR. It's hard to comprehend, both for those who know cardiopulmonary resuscitation and those who don't. And yet, it saved Howard Snitzer's life. The Goodhue, Minn., resident had gone to buy groceries when he collapsed from a massive heart attack. And that's when townspeople went into action. Of course, someone called 911. But more than 20 people, according to media reports, lined up and gave him CPR. ABC News picks up the story here: "When the paramedics arrived via helicopter, they witnessed an astonishing scene.

Re "When CPR isn't the right medicine," Opinion, March 13 I agree with Kevin M. Dirksen and Neil S. Wenger about the need for a patient to discuss whether life-saving procedures should be performed if his or her heart stops. These discussions need to be followed quickly by signing the necessary legal statements. As a registered nurse, I have seen the results when no guidance is available. I have also seen unwanted CPR performed when the information in a "do not resuscitate" form wasn't passed on properly.

The 911 call last month that led to an emergency dispatcher begging workers at a Bakersfield senior living facility to perform CPR on a woman captured the attention of the public. A staff worker told the dispatcher it was against the facility's policy to intervene. The woman, Lorraine Bayless, died. It is difficult to understand how liability concerns could dissuade anyone from helping a person in distress. However, this stark event should awaken us to another question: Should we be performing CPR on 87-year-olds in a community setting such as a senior home?

On “Grey's Anatomy,” doctors steer family members out of the hospital room when they call a code blue and start performing CPR on a patient because it's just too upsetting to watch. But in real life, doctors should be inviting family members to observe their attempts at cardiopulmonary resuscitation, researchers say. A study published in Thursday's edition of the New England Journal of Medicine found that family members who looked on as doctors performed CPR on their loved ones were far less likely to experience post-traumatic stress disorder three months later.

On the morning of July 10, attorney Jerald Gale was reading an e-mail in his office on the 20th floor of a Koreatown high-rise. That's the last thing the 58-year-old husband, father and avid cyclist remembers before losing consciousness. Gale's heart had gone into sudden cardiac arrest. It wasn't a heart attack, in which blockage cuts off blood flow to the heart. In sudden cardiac arrest, the heart stops pumping because of an electrical problem caused by a rhythm disorder. Gale had been treated for some blockage six years ago, but he was healthy again and under the care of a cardiologist, and he'd had no warning signs that anything was wrong.

Should all secondary school students learn CPR? That's what an American Heart Assn. advisory argued Monday. Included in the ideal curriculum : how to recognize an emergency, how to deliver chest compressions, how to use automated external defibrillators -- and plenty of (simulated) opportunity to practice the skills. It’s unclear how many schools are listening, though. Although 36 states have laws “encouraging” such training, the advisory says, it appears CPR has yet to be embraced as part of the standard collective lesson plan.

Chest compressions alone are as effective in rescuing victims of heart attacks as conventional cardiopulmonary resuscitation that combines compressions with forced breathing, researchers said Wednesday. Studies in Washington and Sweden confirm the growing idea that the breathing component of CPR is necessary only for children and those who have suffered drowning or who have respiratory problems. Recent guidelines based on these and earlier studies may overcome some of the fears of bystanders who are reluctant to initiate CPR because of the danger of infectious diseases.

Re "When CPR isn't the right medicine," Opinion, March 13 I agree with Kevin M. Dirksen and Neil S. Wenger about the need for a patient to discuss whether life-saving procedures should be performed if his or her heart stops. These discussions need to be followed quickly by signing the necessary legal statements. As a registered nurse, I have seen the results when no guidance is available. I have also seen unwanted CPR performed when the information in a "do not resuscitate" form wasn't passed on properly.

Bakersfield police are investigating a senior living facility over its handling of an 87-year-old woman who died after a staff member declined to perform CPR last week. A woman who identified herself as a nurse at Glenwood Gardens refused to give the woman CPR as directed by a Bakersfield fire dispatcher, saying that it was against the facility's policy for staff to do so, according to a 911 tape released by the Bakersfield Fire Department. Police are trying to "determine whether or not there is any criminal wrongdoing in the matter," such as negligence or abuse, said Michaela Beard, a spokeswoman for the Bakersfield Police Department.

Sudden cardiac death claims 1,200 lives per day in the United States, an average of nearly one death per minute. The majority of these deaths occur outside the hospital, the result of irreversible damage to the heart and brain that develops within minutes. Even with the best emergency medical service system, ambulance personnel usually require at least three to four minutes to arrive at the scene. A critical factor in determining survival is the amount of time that elapses prior to the initiation of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR)

The 911 call last month that led to an emergency dispatcher begging workers at a Bakersfield senior living facility to perform CPR on a woman captured the attention of the public. A staff worker told the dispatcher it was against the facility's policy to intervene. The woman, Lorraine Bayless, died. It is difficult to understand how liability concerns could dissuade anyone from helping a person in distress. However, this stark event should awaken us to another question: Should we be performing CPR on 87-year-olds in a community setting such as a senior home?

Bakersfield police are investigating a senior living facility over its handling of an 87-year-old woman who died after a staff member declined to perform CPR last week. A woman who identified herself as a nurse at Glenwood Gardens refused to give the woman CPR as directed by a Bakersfield fire dispatcher, saying that it was against the facility's policy for staff to do so, according to a 911 tape released by the Bakersfield Fire Department. Police are trying to "determine whether or not there is any criminal wrongdoing in the matter," such as negligence or abuse, said Michaela Beard, a spokeswoman for the Bakersfield Police Department.

The 87-year-old woman who died last week after a staff member at a Bakersfield senior living facility refused to perform CPR did not want life-prolonging intervention, her family said Tuesday. In a statement to the Associated Press, the family of Lorraine Bayless said they do not plan to sue the facility, Glenwood Gardens. A staff member who identified herself as a nurse refused to give Bayless CPR as directed by a Bakersfield fire dispatcher, saying it was against the facility's policy for staff to do so, according to a 911 tape released by the Bakersfield Fire Department.

Bakersfield fire dispatcher Tracey Halvorson pleaded with the woman on the other end of the line to start CPR on an elderly woman who was barely breathing. "It's a human being," Halvorson said, speaking quickly. "Is there anybody that's willing to help this lady and not let her die?" The woman paused. "Um, not at this time. " According to a 911 tape released by the Bakersfield Fire Department, the woman told Halvorson that she was a nurse at Glenwood Gardens, a senior living facility in Bakersfield.

If your heart stops and you fall to the ground, your chances of survival may depend on which neighborhood you're in when you collapse. Patients suffering cardiac arrest in poorer, predominantly black neighborhoods were half as likely to receive CPR from a bystander as those in richer, predominantly white neighborhoods, according to research published in Thursday's edition of the New England Journal of Medicine. Even cardiac arrest victims in well-to-do black neighborhoods were 23% less likely to receive bystander assistance.

On the morning of July 10, attorney Jerald Gale was reading an e-mail in his office on the 20th floor of a Koreatown high-rise. That's the last thing the 58-year-old husband, father and avid cyclist remembers before losing consciousness. Gale's heart had gone into sudden cardiac arrest. It wasn't a heart attack, in which blockage cuts off blood flow to the heart. In sudden cardiac arrest, the heart stops pumping because of an electrical problem caused by a rhythm disorder. Gale had been treated for some blockage six years ago, but he was healthy again and under the care of a cardiologist, and he'd had no warning signs that anything was wrong.

Los Angeles Fire Department dispatchers waste valuable time getting 911 callers to start CPR on cardiac arrest victims, often beginning the life-saving procedure after the point at which brain death begins, according to an internal study obtained by The Times . The study raised particular concerns about time-consuming scripted questions dispatchers are required to ask, including one that forces frantic and confused callers to make difficult judgments...

Several Los Angeles officials on Friday said they would probe the findings of an internal Los Angeles Fire Department report detailing delays in getting 911 callers to begin CPR on cardiac arrest victims. The study, disclosed by The Times this week, found LAFD dispatchers waste valuable time getting callers to start CPR, often beginning the life-saving procedure after the point at which brain death can begin. The study raised particular concerns about a time-consuming script of questions call-takers are required to ask before giving CPR instructions or dispatching rescue units.

Question: On a recent flight from Los Angeles to Shanghai, an older woman passenger collapsed on my lap and then on my feet. The flight crew had to bring an oxygen tank to her. It was terrifying, and I didn't know what to do. If this ever happens again, what should I do? Kevin Orbach Nantong, China Answer: The quick answer is to summon help, stay calm and do what you can, which sounds simple but isn't. What you are required to do, what you can do and what you should do are different questions, so we'll start with the easiest one first.

Several Los Angeles officials on Friday said they would probe the findings of an internal Los Angeles Fire Department report detailing delays in getting 911 callers to begin CPR on cardiac arrest victims. The study, disclosed by The Times this week, found LAFD dispatchers waste valuable time getting callers to start CPR, often beginning the life-saving procedure after the point at which brain death can begin. The study raised particular concerns about a time-consuming script of questions call-takers are required to ask before giving CPR instructions or dispatching rescue units.