96 minutes of CPR...

[paramedicmike]

... and he's still alive.

Sometimes, the damnedest things do happen.

[mobey]

Against all odds, and science.

I love it when these things happen.

[scubanurse]

I think it is a good question the patient asked...why didn't they stop. When I think back on the codes that I had run, I find it difficult to believe we would have worked one for 90+ minutes. Great save though and one lucky lucky guy.

[Chief1C]

That's... Amazing. Good for them, and rural to boot! I've probably done CPR that long on several occasions, due to our location. None were ever resuscitated, the only people I've brought back arrested in the ambulance. Speaking from my point of view, it's damn hard to give up when you know the patient. We have an old resuscitator box in the station, on the inside, below the instructions in a piece of tape. Written on it is "If they don't look dead, don't give up". Never know, eh?

Sorry, I took it w/ my cell phone, so the image sucks. Click on it.It's that old tape that came w/ army medical supplies, leaves a residue on everything, forever. That little note will outlive us all.

Edited March 3, 2011 by 4c6

[HERBIE1]

Kudos to all involved.

More proof that we do not make the rules and that if it's your time, it's your time, but when it's not, someone can defy all odds.

[Happiness]

We had a similar case about 6 months ago. Our who had life style issues (etoh for 50 years) collapsed in his home. The gf called the amubulance and was instructed to do CPR, she said she couldnt do it (again etoh issues) so she went next door to get help. The gentleman came over and started CPR. That was about a 5 min span. We arrived approx 5-7 min later, so did the local fire chief. Between all of us we continued CPR attached the AED, applied O2. 3 no shocks from the AED and off we went. That was about another 10 minutes. We arrived 5 minutes later and another 1-2 min to get in the ER room, it took about 3 minutes to get the drugs going. Approx 5 mins later they were going to call him gone and they did one more check, He actually had a pulse. Once he was stabalized enough to be medivac, they had him sent to Vancouver. Now the pt didn't survive more than 48 hrs and Im pretty sure it was due to his life style but it did show is that good CPR asap will make a real difference in the out come of pt.

I sure like the "If they dont look dead, then dont stop" And come to think of it he really didnt look dead.....

[DwayneEMTP]

I tend to believe that it's much more likely that the patient didn't need CPR the entire time. There is just not enough information in this article to give any credence to there being anyone on scene qualified to obtain minimal vital signs.Especially if this was a hypothermia situation. Know what I mean?

I love a good story as much as the next person, but a first responder report that the pt was pulseless and apneic the entire time does not a scientific anamololy make. Surely you all have run on cases of well meaning people, up to and including young medics, that have been doing CPR on a pt that did not fit the criteria for CPR. Not long ago we ran on a significant drug overdose where an EMTB first volunteer was on scene leading CPR. Brady at about 30, not sure about resp rate, but it was really, really slow, CPR in progress. I stop CPR, grab a pulse while my partner gets an IV and pushes Narcan. Miracle of miracles the pt wakes up, all the while the basic is yelling, "We brought her back! We got our first save!"

I don't enjoy to be a downer, but we truly do need to be critical of such stories if we're going to be committed to science instead of feel good urban (rural in this case) legend.

Dwayne

[Bieber]

That's a good point, Dwayne. I ran a call from an outpatient surgery center where the staff stated the patient had gone into cardiac arrest after the surgery while he was waiting to be dismissed. The nurse said she'd done "thirty seconds of CPR" and gotten him back. I believe she said he was asystolic, in any case the patient presented alert and oriented x3, perfect regular sinus rhythm no ectopy, non-diagnostic 12 lead, stating he'd been taking a nap and the next thing he knew he was having CPR done on him. Did he arrest? Maybe, but I have my doubts.

Long story short, we gave him a ride to the hospital and monitored him. He threw up his orange juice. Which, by the way, was all he'd had for the last twenty-four hours. Talk about a sickly sweet odor!

[usalsfyre]

I just opinioned on another forum that the guy most likely had an unrecognized ROSC at some point.

Edited March 4, 2011 by usalsfyre

[HERBIE1]

Dwayne makes a good point. Since it was lay CPR, we have no idea if the person really was pulseless and apneic the whole time. Maybe, maybe not. Good story, anyway, and if it encourages more folks to participate in a similar situation, it's a good thing.

I had a rocket scientist actually tell me that he woke up in cardiac arrest and did CPR on himself until he felt better. Of course I played along and told him he did a fine job. I relayed the story via the radio to the hospital- and I played it completely straight. My partner had everything he could do from bursting out laughing. When we arrived at the ER, we told the doc and the nurses we wanted to credit the guy with a save and give him an award.

More proof that bystander CPR actually works!