Are You Ready

Every day, 600 people die of sudden cardiac arrest (SCA). This statistic becomes even more shocking when one finds out that ½ of those deaths could have been prevented if someone had done something. Cardiac arrest is the leading cause of death among both men and women.
 
It’s 5:45 on a Friday evening at your office. As you finish checking your email for the last time that day, you hear a strange noise in the cubicle next to yours. You look over and see your co-worker sitting in his chair looking gray and sweating; he complains of sudden stomach pain. You become concerned and offer to call 911. Your co-worker says no, it’s just indigestion brought on by the pepperoni pizza he had for lunch. 
 
What would you do?
 
Do you respect your co-worker’s wishes and go on home after sharing your bottle of Tums? Or do you call 911 regardless of what your co-worker says?
 
By all means – call 911! You could potentially be saving a life! People who become ill don’t think clearly; they are in denial. If you see the sudden onset of the following symptoms, you shouldn’t waste any time. You do not need the victim’s permission to call EMS. Call 911 immediately if you observe any of the following potentially life-threatening symptoms:
 
*Chest pain or pressure that lasts more than 3-5 minutes
*Chest pain that spreads to the shoulder, arms, neck or jaw
*Sudden nausea, sweating, difficulty breathing, or shortness of breath
*Ashen or bluish skin tone
*Dizziness
*Denial of signals
 
For women, the signals of a heart attack can be more subtle; in addition to any of the above signals, women often experience:
 
*Back pain
*Extreme weakness
*Extreme fatigue
 
It is important to note that the above symptoms do not constitute a check list. Many victims of heart attack experience only one or two of the above symptoms. The problem arises when, out of a desire to respect the wishes of the people around us, we don’t call 911.  When the victim dies of SCA, it is very difficult to live with those regrets. Remember, people who become ill can’t think clearly.
 
One of the best ways we can help others in the event of an unexpected emergency is to be trained to recognize and respond to emergencies in the workplace. More and more workplaces are having a group of volunteers trained in CPR, AED (Automated External Defibrillator) and First Aid. The national average response time for 911 is 7-10 minutes.  When paramedics arrive on the scene of cardiac arrest after that long, the chance of a normal recovery is very slim. Every minute that AED is delayed, a person’s chance of survival goes down by 10%.  A co-worker could easily respond in 1-2 minutes, dramatically increasing the chance of survival in a life-threatening emergency.
 
You may have heard people say, “CPR doesn’t work.”  The purpose of CPR is not to restart the heart!  The sole purpose of CPR is to artificially circulate blood, which, when done correctly, will keep the brain supplied with oxygen.  New guidelines released this year by the American Red Cross teach cycles of 30 compressions followed by 2 breaths. The brain is being supplied more continuously with oxygenated blood as a co-worker gets the AED or we wait for paramedics.  This offers the victim a better chance at a normal recovery.
 
What can you do?  You can encourage your workplace to offer these valuable training and certification classes so you too can be prepared. 
 
Kathy Atwell
President
LifeSavers Health & Safety Training
www.LifeSavers-Training.com

First Published

January, 2007

Health & Fitness Times