First Aid Cardiac arrest counts every minute

First Aid: Every minute counts for cardiac arrest

24/12/2014

Cardiac arrest is a life-threatening situation. It can happen anywhere, whether in the office, in the department store or at home. Then sufferers depend on first aid, but many people do not know what to do. This can be dangerous as the minutes before an ambulance arrives decide on life and death.

Every minute counts
Cardiac arrest is a life-threatening situation where every minute counts. First responders can save lives, but many lack the necessary knowledge. Professor Dietrich Andresen, cardiologist and board member of the German Heart Foundation told the news agency dpa: „The only mistake that can be made is to do nothing.“ Survivability for those affected is the higher, the faster and better first responders react. Therefore, some tips for first responders can be life-saving.

First check condition
First responders check whether the person is really unconscious, as Professor Andresen explained. For this, they lay the person on the back and knock alternately on the victim's left and right cheeks and speak to him. If he does not move, he has a cardiac arrest. The expert advises against checking whether the patient has a pulse: „This is very difficult in such situations.“ First responders lose important minutes.

Alert emergency call
The next step for first responders is to alert the ambulance. The telephone number for this is 112. The helpers inform the control center on the phone about what happened and where the ambulance should go. First responders do not call the family doctor instead.

Revival with heart massage
After that, first responders begin the resuscitation. The rule of thumb of Professor Andresen is: „Press, press, press“, because the brain needs to be oxygenated. This can be achieved with a heart massage. First responders kneel to the side of the person concerned and put the left palm on the middle of the breastbone. Next, place your right hand on the left and start pushing hard. The arms are stretched.

To the beat of a pop song
It should be noted that first responders should press about 100 times a minute and not be squeamish. „It is not enough to push the chest down an inch“, so Andresen. It must be five to six inches for the blood to flow. To stay in sync, it is recommended that first responders play the beat of the Bee Gees pop song „Staying Alive“ can press. Helpers can completely omit mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. „If someone has just fallen over, the oxygen in the blood will last for about the next eight minutes.“

Second person can look for defibrillator
It is also suggested that first responders should not seek out an external defibrillator. It is much more important to revive the patient. However, if a second person is on-site, they can look for a defibrillator. If one is found, then this should be created under ongoing cardiac massage. The heart massage will continue after the first shock until the arrival of the rescue team.

Various causes of cardiac arrest
In Germany, around 75,000 people are reanimated every year after a cardiac arrest, but only about 5,000 of them survive. Sometimes a cardiac arrest can announce symptoms in advance. These include chest pain, shortness of breath, general weakness, dizziness and fainting. Cardiac arrest can be due to various causes. These include, for example, heart attack, pulmonary embolism and poisoning by drugs or medications. (Ad)