Norfolk Ambulance will teach the skill at Dec. 3 Farmers Market

By Wiley Wood

If someone near you suffers cardiac arrest, the best response is still to call 911 and start CPR, or cardiopulmonary resuscitation, according to Christopher Little, chief of Norfolk Lions Club Ambulance. But the American Heart Association now recommends a simplified version called “Hands-Only CPR,” involving no mouth-to-mouth breathing. Push hard and fast at the center of the chest at an even rate of 100 to 120 beats per minute, is the new mantra. And don’t stop.

When a Norfolk man experienced cardiac arrest at his home recently, his wife called 911 immediately and started Hands-Only CPR on instructions from the 911 operator. Within three minutes, members of Norfolk Ambulance and Norfolk Volunteer Fire Department arrived and took over CPR from her, relaying each other at two-minute intervals without any break in rhythm, as per protocol.

A portable defibrillator, or AED, was applied to the man’s chest, but the “No shock advised” message was received. The emergency crew also used a bag valve mask (BVM) to oxygenate and ventilate the patient. Twelve members of Norfolk Ambulance now carry AED’s in their personal vehicles.

When a paramedic arrived on scene, CPR continued uninterruptedly. After 40 minutes, word came from Charlotte Hungerford’s medical control to stop efforts at resuscitation. Emergency service protocols call for CPR to be performed on scene until the victim’s heart starts pumping again on its own or medical control intervenes. The logic, according to Little, is that CPR cannot be administered adequately while the victim is being transferred to a stretcher or transported in an ambulance (where one of the EMT’s hands is gripping a handrail).

In this tragic case, the cardiac arrest victim died, despite the prompt intervention of his wife, a large team of Norfolk Ambulance and Fire personnel, and a highly trained paramedic, under the supervision of a Charlotte Hungerford Emergency Room physician.

Data collected by the paramedic during CPR and reviewed by the emergency room team at the hospital showed that the compressions had been uniformly excellent, maintaining the victim’s circulation and delivering oxygen to his bloodstream. In other words, everything possible was done for him.

CPR combined with early defibrillation can save lives in situations such as this, particularly where cardiac arrest is due to some form of arrhythmia, especially ventricular fibrillation. Norfolk Ambulance will hold a Hands-Only CPR demonstration and teach-in at Battell Chapel during the holiday Farmers Market on December 3. The skill can be learned in five minutes, says Little, who urges everyone to remember the American Heart Association mantra: “Two steps to save a life: call 911; push hard and fast.”