(C.P.R. stands for cardiopulmonary resuscitation.)
On Wednesday 27 Nov 2024 there was a terrific turn-out by a very attentive group at the Empress for the Wheel Easy CPR and Defibrillator Familiarisation evening led by the excellent and experienced First Responder Joan Broadbank ⭐️.
Joan explained the procedures very carefully and responded to lots of great questions from the group. I have to add that she was very ably assisted by the lovely Colin who modelled recovery positions very well. We also got to practice CPR on a dummy.
The group gave its heartfelt appreciation to Joan with a hearty round of applause! ❤️🩹
Here is what I learned:
First Response to an accident or medical emergency? Dial 999!
Now is the time to be Calm and Capable!
The emergency responder may ask for your location using a reference from the What3Words app – this is easy and accurate so we highly recommend you have it on your phone. Find out more and download the app here: https://what3words.com/
Second response: ensure the safety of the area around the victim so no further tragedy befalls anyone, such as on a busy road or near a fire. You may have to direct other people around you to help with this.
Now carefully place the person on their back and check to see whether the patient is breathing…
Yes?
Are they conscious?
If so, chat to them reassuringly as you check them over and ask questions as to where they feel pain (no, not always obvious!), get their name and any pertinent info such as the medications they’re using; this is good knowledge that you can pass on to the ambulance paramedics when they arrive to save time.
Are they unconscious and not responding to your verbal or physical calls to attention? Do not perform CPR but if you think it’s safe to do, taking into account possible injuries, place the patient into the recovery position and keep your eye on them. Keep them warm as shock can be fatal too.
No, they are not breathing? You may also notice that the person’s lips are turning blue or the face is losing colour. Having already called the ambulance service, place your phone on speaker mode nearby to free up your hands and so that the operator can talk you through the next steps – you are not alone!
The operator will locate the nearest Defibrillator to you and hopefully you will be able to send someone else to fetch it after she has relayed the code to open the cabinet if it is housed inside one.
Now remove anything behind the person’s head and check that the airways are open by gently tipping the patient’s head back slightly to open the mouth – check nothing is obstructing by doing a quick sweep inside with a finger.
You will now need to perform CPR to keep the blood circulation pumping through the body, critically to the brain.
Kneel by their side and if possible remove the patient’s outer clothing (if you need to attach defibrillator pads later, then all upper clothing should be removed; there will be scissors in the Defib kit, but if this hasn’t arrived yet, improvise!) to expose the chest and locate the sternum; a couple of finger widths up from there is where you need to place your locked or overlapped hands so that the heel of the hand can compress the chest to pump oxygen. Be sure that you are directly over the patient’s body with straight elbows to exercise direct pressure.
This requires a pretty quick, deep, steady action to a rhythm such as to the « Happy Birthday » song or more appropriately The Bee Gees’ song « Staying alive ».
After about 30 compressions, and only if you feel confident to do so, give 2 breaths to the patient: tilt the patient’s head back slightly, lift their chin, pinch their nose, place your mouth over theirs and blow in to make their chest rise. Then continue CPR until help arrives but wait until the Defibrillator is set up.
If you have a defibrillator now ready and switched on, attach the pads to the area above the chest and to the side – there are pictures to show you where and the machine itself will speak instructions too. Do be sure not to place a pad over a pacemaker! Bob helpfully showed us what a pacemaker surgical scar looks like – pretty neat!
These pads need to be placed directly on the patient’s dry skin. Once attached, stop CPR and do not touch the patient. Let the Defib machine analyse the patient’s heart rhythm and assess whether a shock is needed. Some machines will administer a shock automatically advising you to stay « clear » whilst other machines will instruct you to press the Shock button. The machine voice will prompt you to resume compressions as necessary.
When the emergency services take over, you will then deserve a nice Yorkshire brew 🫖 !
Yvonne D
You can find out more about how to perform CPR and use a defibrillator on the British Heart Foundation website: https://www.bhf.org.uk/how-you-can-help/how-to-save-a-life
We also have a page on our website where you can find information about First Aid for Cyclists
