Every second counts

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Every second counts

Sunday, 05 June 2022 | HEALTH PIONEER

Every second counts

Krishnakumar Kunnath, popularly known as KK, passed away last week shortly after performing at a concert in Kolkata. Doctors said KK, who had a sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) could have been saved, had he been given cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR) on time. Every year, the first week of June (1st- 7th) is being observed as CPR Awareness Week. Learn how to do CPR and save someone’s life. The HEALTH PIONEER reports

Last month i.e. on May 27, low-cost carrier Go First shared on Twitter how its four cabin crew members assisted a doctor in saving the life of a passenger who suffered a cardiac arrest mid air. The team, the doctor and one of the crew members, performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) on the passenger and, with AED (Automated external defibrillator), helped him recover from the health crisis.

Similarly, last year in February, a CISF personnel saved the life of a 45-year-old man, who fell unconscious at a Delhi metro station, by performing the CPR medical procedure on him. However, many like KK are not lucky to get the timely CPR. In fact, at least 12 lakh people die in India due to the SCA.

Says Dr. Rohit Goel, Interventional Cardiology doctor from Fortis Hospital In Gurugram, Haryana: “CPR is used when there is SCA of a person leading to loss of consciousness and pulse and blood pressure are not recordable. In such a situation immediate medical attention is needed but due to logistic issues it takes time in Indian settings.

“It is important to know that if CPR is not given within  three minutes and blood circulation is absent, the patient can die. Therefore, its important to offer medical help immediately. Survival of a patient can be increased by 2-3 times. All the citizens should be trained in basic CPR  by licensed organizations both public and private.”

Because sudden cardiac arrest can happen to anybody and at any time, learning it properly can help save somebody’s precious life.

As also, was stated by Vice-President M. Venkaiah Naidu at an event in Vijayawada March this year. He had  urged the schools, local bodies, panchayats and NGOs to organise regular camps on CPR to acquaint the youngsters with the life-saving procedure. “The training must also form a part of the high school or college curriculum,” Naidu suggested.

In the case of cardiac arrest, which can occur suddenly, the heart stops functioning due to problems in the electrical system of the heart, disrupting the pumping action and the blood flow to brain and other parts of the body stops.  As a result, the supply of oxygen to the tissues gets obstructed. Lack of oxygen causes irreversible damage to organs like the brain. 'Within seconds, a person drops down unconscious and has no pulse, and within minutes, he/she may die Cardiac arrest is reversible if the victim is administered prompt and appropriate emergency care.

(This writeup is  for information purposes only and  not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always contact your doctor or other qualified health professional for any medical query)

How to perform a CPR  step-by-step guide

vCheck the surroundings for safety

vIf the patient is unresponsive, check for bleeding or for breathing

vIf the patient does not respond and continues to gasp and not breathe, call for medical help immediately

vUntil then, place the patient on the back on a flat surface

vGive 30 chest compressions with hands centred on the chest and place them on top of each other

vKeep the shoulders over the hands with elbows locked

vCompress the chest at 100-120 beats per minute

vGive two mouth-to-mouth breaths after opening the airway

vEnsure that each breath lasts one second and raise the chest

vAllow air to be exhaled before the next break

vRepeat sets of 30 chest compressions and two breaths

vDo not panic around the patient

When should you not do CPR?

vIf someone is having a SCA but is alert with a steady heartbeat, CPR is not appropriate. In a case like this, you may do more harm to the heart than if you did nothing and waited for paramedics to arrive.

vAlso, if you have been performing CPR and the person shows signs of life, such as open eyes and regular breathing, stop CPR immediately. Allow the person to recover, but be prepared in case the individual’s heart stops beating again.

speaks on cpr  

@pseudo_sapiens: As a doctor, for me KK’s death is a tragedy that we may have avoided IF - We could have had timely bystander CPR, if instead of taking him to the hospital he could have revived first aid on site which is very much possible with a equipped ACLS ambulance with a doctor and + #KK

@RajayNarain : Timely #CPR & #AED could have saved one of India’s biggest talent ! There should be more training for CPR in general population & more AED in public places. Time for more awareness & screening for risk factors for #heart diseases.

@American_Heart: About 90% out-of-hospital cardiac arrests are fatal. CPR, especially if performed immediately, can double or triple the chances of survival.

@sanjaynagral: What we will discuss ; stress, genetics, fitness, checkups, angiograms

What we could do; train bystanders to feel pulse & start CPR, install AED’s at public places, start rx in ambulances, get people to hospital in an hour

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