YSK Defibrillators doesn't restart a stopped heart

yaphy@lemmy.world to You Should Know@lemmy.world – 230 points –

Why YSK: TV has lied to you. If a cardiac arrest happens and you have an AED defibrillator at hand you might still need to do chest compressions.

  1. When you open up the AED there will be instructions on how to apply the electrodes as well as any other procedure needed to get started.
  2. The machine will first analyze the heart's rhythm to find out if a shock can restore the heart.
  3. If the machine doesn't find anything it will instruct you to perform CPR. After a while it will then instruct you to stand by as it does another analysis.
  4. It will once again either deliver a shock or instruct you to go back to CPR. Do this routine indefinitely until medical services has arrived. You will be tired. Switch out with another person if there are other people who can help.
  5. Some AED's are automatic and will warn you to stand back and deliver a shock. Others will need you to press a button to deliver the shock yourself. Make sure not to touch the person as the machine delivers the shock.
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One thing to add, that haven't been thought to me in the CPR course.

It's fucking exhausting and you will get tired very soon. The training dummy doesn't require nowhere near as much force as a real person. To give you an example, it's quite common to crack or break a rib of the CPR recipient even if CPR is done right. That's how much force you have to use. Without the required force, your pushes won't reach the heart.

Make sure there is someone else who knows how to do CPR or at least is looking how you're doing it and can repeat that or follow your commands once you switch.

I've only had to give someone CPR once and I haven't been as tired in my whole life. No way the "I've been giving him CPR for 30 minutes..." You see on a TV screen is real. I felt like I'll need CPR myself after 3 minutes.

Dixit my CPR trainer:" He's already dead. You can't kill him more."

I was in a car accident while riding a bus. Nothing major but one person fell down and lost consciousness. We had to give CPR to him and while the driver was handling it well he needed help. I was 20 or 21 at the time so I volunteered and I wasn't using enough force because I was afraid I'll hurt the guy. I was especially holding back because he was like 80 years old or so.

The driver shouted at me to do it properly. "You're afraid you'll hurt him?! What's better, be hurt and alive or fucking dying?!" I fucked up but we managed to hold on with help of two others before help arrived.

Just for context.