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Surely you have seen a movie or television series in which an actor suffers a cardiac arrest.
In addition to the resuscitation massage, applied with more or less realism, there is an element that is never lacking due to the drama and tension it brings to the scene: the defibrillator.
No matter what was the reason for the stop or the rhythm that the patient has, it is always a mandatory phrase
"Load 300! We lose it! Reload!"
.
Unfortunately, I must tell you that seldom does this seem like reality and that the usual thing in these cases is that we health workers laugh when we see such a scene.
If you want to know more about the operation of these devices that allow many people to stay alive after a cardiac arrest, and lose their fear in case of having to use them, I invite you to continue reading.
How do they work?
Applying an
electric shock that goes through the patient's heart and 'restarts' it
.
On some occasion I have told in this section that the heart beats thanks to electrical impulses that are generated within the myocardium itself.
When it stops beating normally causing the death of the patient, that electric shock applied by the defibrillator will try to 'restart' the heart so that it beats again as it should.
This electrical current is generated in the device itself thanks to the batteries it contains and passes from one plate to the other through the myocardium.
Yes, those metallic plates that in the films they place on the patient's chest, smeared with conductive gel.
Are they useful in all cardiac arrests?
No,
only in those caused by two types of cardiac arrhythmias: ventricular fibrillation (VF) and pulseless ventricular tachycardia
.
But beware, it is estimated that VF is responsible for 85% of cardiac arrests outside the hospital.
Every year
more than 30,000 people die in Spain as
a result of cardiac arrest outside hospitals, that is, one case every 20 minutes.
Having a defibrillator nearby could help prevent many of those deaths.
They are all the same?
There are many types of defibrillators, but the external ones can be divided into two large groups:
manual and automatic or semi-automatic
.
The manuals are those used by healthcare professionals in hospitals or ambulances. They consist of a screen where we see the patient's heart rhythm along with other vital signs and, in addition to defibrillating, they are used for other things such as
using them as pacemakers
.
The automatic (AED) or semi-automatic (DESA) are much smaller and lighter than the previous ones and have only the function of a defibrillator.
If you look you can see them on special supports in shopping centers, train stations, airports, sports venues ... and fortunately every day in more places where many people are concentrated.
They are designed so that anyone who witnesses a cardiac arrest can use them
while the emergency services arrive, at a time that is crucial for survival.
When to use it?
When you see that someone has passed out, has lost consciousness and when you get closer you see that they do not answer your questions, do not move, do not breathe or do it in an agonized way and do not have a pulse or are not able to find it.
In that case,
call 112 and have someone quickly pick you up
.
I've never driven any, could I use it?
It could and should, as long as a toilet or a person trained in its handling is not nearby.
Defibrillation in the first minute after the arrest has a success rate of 90%
, but after five minutes without anyone having done anything, the chances of survival are 50% and will continue to decrease.
Until the ambulance arrives, that person needs you to survive.
Its handling is very simple, believe me, and you don't have to be an expert to use them because they are precisely intended for the general public.
Once turned on,
a prerecorded voice will guide you step by step
and will repeat the commands clearly and slowly.
How is a DESA used?
The ideal way to learn how to handle it is to take a short training course, but in case you have not yet had the opportunity to do it, these are the steps to follow:
1.
Get help by calling 112 and people close to you.
2.
Uncover the victim's chest and place the two adhesive patches that you will find next to the device as indicated in the drawing above them.
If you are accompanied,
the other person should be applying heart massage
while you do this.
3.
Follow the sound instructions of the device, which
after analyzing the victim's heart rhythm will decide if a shock is necessary
.
If it is, it will ask us to press a blinking light.
4.
After the discharge, and as long as the device does not tell you otherwise, continue with cardiac massage.
What if I do it wrong?
Can it be harmful?
Never.
The misused DESA is the one that is not used
.
If you put the defibrillation pads on a person who does not need to receive a shock, the device will not deliver the shock.
Remember that he is the one who decides, not you.
When in doubt, use it
.
In the worst case you will have to replace some used patches, in the best it will have helped save a life.
According to the criteria of The Trust Project
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