Britney Thomas and Peter Scott were guest speakers at Rotary Alexandra. Peter is the Paramedic Community Support Coordinator for the Murrindindi Shire. Peter was the Team Manager at Alexandra during the time of the 2009 fires. He has since spent 9 years at Air Ambulance Victoria on the helicopter. Britney, is the Eildon Ambulance Community Officer (ACO) Team Leader. She lives in Marysville and has been an ACO for four years. She has enjoyed the work so much that she has completed her paramedicine studies, and is hoping to return to the local area as a paramedic.
Together, they enlightened us about the three simple steps, ‘Call Push Shock’ to help save a life, when someone is experiencing a cardiac arrest. In cardiac arrest, the patient’s heart stops beating. There are around 18 cardiac arrests daily in Victoria, of whom, 1 in 10 survive. Most occur outside of a hospital setting. Every minute without CPR decreases the patient’s chance of survival by 10%, but that chance of survival can increase by up to 72% when the situation is recognised and acted upon.
Step 1 - CALL
If a person is found unconscious and not breathing or not breathing normally, call 000 and request an ambulance. The call taker will stay on the line until the ambulance arrives, and talk you through the resuscitation procedure. It is vital that you call early.
Step 2 - PUSH (CPR)
Provide hands-only compressions. For members of the public, no breathes are required. It is important that high-quality compressions are provided with minimal interruption.
Place the patient on a firm surface, ideally the floor. Kneel beside patient, knees a shoulder width apart. Centre your hands on the chest between the nipples. Place one hand on top of the other and lock your elbows. Using your body weight, bending from hips, push down a third of chest depth, and allow for full recoil. Desired rhythm is 100-120 compressions per minute, think Bee Gees ‘Staying Alive’. Some patient's ribs will break during CPR. If possible, swap operator every two minutes, as CPR is exhausting. Give it a go, something is better than nothing!
Step 3 - SHOCK
If possible, locate an AED/defibrillator, but do not stop compressions in doing so. Clothes need to be cut off and the patient's chest exposed. Shears should be located in the defibrillator pack. If the patient is very hairy, you may need to clip hair before applying pads. Defibrillator pads need to be applied to dry skin as per the diagram on pads. Remove any patches attached to the patient's skin (for example, nicotine or pain relief) before applying defibrillator pads. Do not bring pads into contact with metal or water. Focus on compressions while defibrillator being prepared. Turn on the AED machine and follow the verbal instructions. Most importantly, stand clear when a shock is delivered, then keep going with CPR. The AED is capable of correcting some (but not all) abnormal rhythms. Keep note of the number of shocks applied, most AEDs will do this for you. Some AEDs will require modifications to be used on a paediatric patient, such as inserting a "key" or utilising different pads.
The GoodSAM app links community based responders to a patient in cardiac arrest and aims to provide rapid assistance to patients in those first critical minutes, while paramedics and emergency services are on the way. GoodSAM responders are also notified at the time of ambulance dispatch, if close-by to someone in cardiac arrest. Consider downloading the app on your phone and registering.
AEDs should preferably be located on the outside of buildings, for ready access when required, and registered with Ambulance Victoria. The device will require service after emergency use. If the AED is registered and used by a GoodSAM responder, Ambulance Victoria will replace the pads.
