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CPR Questions / Clarifications?

(3 posts)

  1. George
    Member

    I'm a Lifeguard, however I've been wondering about a few specific cases.

    Obviously, CPR should be stopped / never be initiated if:
    Obvious Signs of Life
    Become too Tired
    Dangerous for Myself
    Paramedics take over

    However, what about the patient's health?

    It's completely possible that there could be a car accident. I check it out to see if everybody's OK sort of thing. Somebody's on the ground, unconscious, not breathing. In car accidents, people fly around within a giant piece of screaming, glass filled metal full of things that could easily break a neck. So, disregarding these things, even if this person's spine is possibly broken and nobody there is certified to stabilize their head, I should still give CPR which, I'll add, is physically brutal to the person receiving it? That just doesn't seem right.

    If there are any RN's online keeping people from being idiots, please help.

    Which situations, even though the situations are ideal based on what the Red Cross advises, should I not perform CPR with the person's health in mind?

    Posted 2 years ago #

  2. Wildmanjawz
    Member

    Actually by being certified with CPR, you are almost bound by law to perform CPR, regardless of injuries to person in need. Some states have different acceptable tolerances, while others are more strict. Only cases CPR is not required are if the person has been expired for 10 minutes or more without any aid, but that too can differ by state. I have had to perform CPR on an individual for over 30 mins before the EMT's arrived even thought the person had a severely crushed chest due to a car wreck, as CPR was started and I stepped in to assist. By law here it was require regardless of his injuries. Unfortunately it was to no good outcome.

    Posted 2 years ago #

  3. victoria.
    Member

    You absolutely should continue CPR even with the risk of spinal injury. If the person is in cardiac arrest and you do not perform CPR, they will most certainly die. They're already dead and can't become any more dead. They only have the RISK of a spinal injury. The benefit of performing CPR in this case highly outweighs the risk for potential spinal injury. Make sense?

    You are never required by law to perform CPR on a patient just because you are certified. Some states require you to step in if you are a paramedic or EMT because they are a Duty to Act state. My state is not, and therefore as a paramedic, I don't have to do anything if I'm off duty. (Doesn't mean I won't, just means I don't have to). If you only are certified in CPR, you never have to use it if you don't want to. Of course it's always better to do it, and you have the Good Samaritan Law that will greatly work on your side if anyone ever tried to sue you (FYI, there has never been a successful lawsuit against someone who has performed CPR).

    I've never heard that you don't do CPR if the person has been dead for 10 minutes. While the outcome probably won't be great, that should never ever be an excuse to not begin CPR. 10 minutes could be how long it takes for an ambulance to arrive, meanwhile no one is doing CPR. It doesn't mean we shouldn't start CPR. That's absolutely ridiculous.

    The reasons to stop or not begin CPR as you have listed are right on target. For myself as a medic, I would not perform CPR on someone who has obvious signs of death or injuries incompatible with life. For yourself, stick with the list above. :)

    Posted 2 years ago #

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