Andy Botten
24-08-2006, 14:31
I have just attended a presentation for St John about the new BLS by a Consultant Cardiologist.
One of the most interesting things to come out of it was that Cardiac Compressions whilst there is still some vestige of a heart beat is actually needed.
I come from the old school of any pumping could stop the heart. So what he was saying goes against the grain.
So I thought I would share some of the points.
Even if the heart is started by shocking using a defibrillator, the pulse is not sufficient to maintain life so you must give cardiac compressions. The defibrillators are now being reprogrammed to tell you to do just that.
He also showed a video of a heart in ventricular fibrillation (VF). What happens is the right side fills up with blood returning from the venous system, engorging it until it is 2-3 times larger. This stops the left side from working properly as there is nothing in it. As there is no blood comng out the left side that part of the heart dies from a lack of oxygen and food.
CC on a heart in VF gets the blood out of the right side. It helps move oxygenated blood into the left side of the heart and then from there to the coronary artery giving the heart oxygen & metabolites, as well as to the brain.
If in doubt CCs help.
One of the most interesting things to come out of it was that Cardiac Compressions whilst there is still some vestige of a heart beat is actually needed.
I come from the old school of any pumping could stop the heart. So what he was saying goes against the grain.
So I thought I would share some of the points.
Even if the heart is started by shocking using a defibrillator, the pulse is not sufficient to maintain life so you must give cardiac compressions. The defibrillators are now being reprogrammed to tell you to do just that.
He also showed a video of a heart in ventricular fibrillation (VF). What happens is the right side fills up with blood returning from the venous system, engorging it until it is 2-3 times larger. This stops the left side from working properly as there is nothing in it. As there is no blood comng out the left side that part of the heart dies from a lack of oxygen and food.
CC on a heart in VF gets the blood out of the right side. It helps move oxygenated blood into the left side of the heart and then from there to the coronary artery giving the heart oxygen & metabolites, as well as to the brain.
If in doubt CCs help.