There are many life-saving procedures that one should know during a health emergency. The most important of them is CPR, which means ‘cardiopulmonary resuscitation,
It involves immediate chest compressions often combined with artificial ventilation to resuscitate a patient who may not have a pulse and is unresponsive. But, can a patient revive himself through CPR?
We reached out to some doctors, who explained that it is practically impossible for someone to administer c p r on own; Resuscitation can only happen if another person gives them a chest contraction when their heart stops during a cardiac arrestWaiting for medical aid to arrive on the spot.
Dr Sharang Sachdev, consultant and head of emergency medicine department of Aakash Healthcare told this outlet that if someone has died, they cannot give themselves CPR. “When the heart stops, there will be no blood supply to the brain. And when it does, how will the patient know what to do?”
Explaining the procedure of CPR, he said that when someone dies, irrespective of his age, there is enough oxygen in his body for 5-7 minutes. Until medical help arrives, a spectator may follow certain rules. “First, check if you are safe if, for example, you cannot administer CPR in the middle of the road. Pat the patient’s shoulders; if they are subconscious, they will move; if they are unconscious, then Maybe they’re dead. Check their pulse — next to the neck — and breathing. If there’s no pulse and no breath, call an ambulance right away, because if you start CPR earlier, you’ll be advanced in arriving Medical assistance can be delayed. [to the scene],
“Then, you start giving chest compressions, In times of covid, the rules have changed; mouth to mouth is no longer safe [breaths]In addition, there is enough oxygen in the body. Continuously press the center of the chest at least 100-120 times in a minute, and not more than 5 cm deep,” said Dr. Sachdev.
He said that if the blood vessels surrounding the heart become blocked, it can lead to a heart attack and if a doctor is not able to identify and treat it, a person’s heart can stop beating, causing Cardiac arrest may occur. “That’s when CPR is needed.”
“There is no such thing as self-CPR. If someone has fallen, they cannot revive themselves. There are steps others can follow to give CPR during an emergency,” says a doctor. Photo: Getty/Thinkstock)
The Internet, however, refers to something called ‘cough CPR’, which the patient can do on their own. The American Heart Association (AHA) does not endorse this, and many health experts around the world have called it a myth.
Dr Abhijeet Palshikar, Interventional Cardiologist, HOD Cardiology, Sahyadri Hospitals says indianexpress.com that ‘cough CPR’ can be used to “prolong a patient’s consciousness in the catheterization laboratory”, but cannot be used in a “pre-hospital setup”. “If the patient during cough arrhythmiaNot that cardiac arrhythmias will end… people [who believe it will help them] Spend a lot of time coughing instead of calling a doctor or an ambulance. This is almost certainly false.”
Adding to this, the Head of Cardiology at Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital in Navi Mumbai, Prof. Dr. GR Kane said that if someone is having a heart attack, he should not stress himself by walking and should sit down immediately.
“Solutions may include a water-soluble aspirin (in liquid form when mixed with water) or a tablet containing isosorbide dinitrate, which is helpful for heart failure due to its ability to relax and widen blood vessels so that Blood can flow easily through the heart. A cardiac ambulance should be called immediately and the patient should be transferred to the hospital,” said the doctor, adding to that cough CPR — where the patient is asked to breathe repeatedly with a deep breath before each cough. – Frequent and loud coughing is recommended – not recommended, because, “when we have a heart attack, the heart tissue can die, but the heart usually keeps beating. Coughing helps in doing CPR.” Time should not be wasted, and an ambulance should be called instead.”
Dr. Vivek Shama, Associate Consultant Cardiologist, BLK Max Super Specialty Hospital, Pusa Road, New Delhi summarized that sudden cardiac events are “transient”. He said, ‘You must have seen people falling on the stage while giving speeches… it all happens in seconds, nobody realizes that he is coming. There is no such thing as self-CPR. If someone has fallen, they can’t [revive themselves], However, there are steps that can be followed to administer CPR to others during an emergency. It can save lives,” he said.
