As Heart Transplant Patient Dies, First Aid Questions Arise

Today I heard the news that Mr Macdonald, from Nairn in the Highlands, Britain's longest surviving heart transplant patient has died. My condolences go to his family and friends.

Gordon Macdonald was in his 60s and had suffered from Cardiomyopathy, which is sometimes a genetic disease that causes the heart muscle to become inflamed or enlarged. The wonders of modern science meant that Gordon Macdonald's life was extended by 26 years. Mr Macdonald underwent the operation at a Cambridge hospital in 1980. He had been forced to retire early due to the condition, but after the operation was able to work for a construction company.

By having the operation it allowed him to resume work, play golf and enjoy many more years with his family and friends. I admire the work of the physicians who are such skilled practitioners and able to give people like Mr Macdonald the opportunity to enjoy another quarter of a century on this planet.

I am often asked on First Aid Courses, what a First Aider should do with a casualty who collapses and stops breathing normally if the First Aider knows the casualty has had such an operation.

The answer is simple; the treatment would be no different from any other casualty showing the same signs and symptoms. After all, a heart transplant means a replacement organ, so you would carry out CPR in the same way.

New Technology Improves CPR Skills Making CPREzy

I am always on the look out for advances in the field of First Aid training. So when I attended the European Resuscitation Council conference in Norway back in May 2006, I discovered a new device that I believe will impact on the quality of both First Aid/CPR training AND the First Aider's ability to be more effective in an emergency.

Research in Germany found that students using this devise (which is a sensor pad, known as CPREzy) during training retained their skills longer when they were tested later without the device.

With around 250,000 heart attacks in the UK each year, approximately half are cardiac arrest (when the heart stops beating). Less than 5% of cardiac arrest casualties survive – often due to no, or poor, CPR at the time of collapse.

Correctly performed CPR can make the difference between life and death by providing sufficient blood flow to the brain to prevent brain damage - giving First Aiders more confidence (and giving their casualty a better chance of survival) with this amazing new device.

One device in each workplace building could give First Aiders more confidence if and when they have to deal with a situation. It is also a perfect TRAINING tool as it can be used on any hard surface for practice purposes, so I've incorporated it into all OPTIMUM courses.

This device provides hope for improving the statistics mentioned earlier. With testimonials for the device both in and out of hospital, plus the back up research which concluded:
“The use of the simple, portable and reuseable device by previously untrained people leads to a significant improvement in a cardiac arrest scenario to standard training regarding rate and depth of the External Chest Compressions.”
And
“This device is able to achieve an enduring effect for the compression depth after it has been used for resuscitation training”.

The device is an interactive aid designed to assist First Aiders perform more effective CPR in an emergency by:
1. Giving out an audible tone at the rate of 100 beats per minute, which means the First Aider doesn't have to think "Is this the correct pace? Am I doing it fast enough?"
2. Lights on the pad indicate the level of force that is being applied via a sensor. It informs the First Aider at 5 levels for a; child, small adult, average adult, large adult and extra large adult. Can be used on anyone weighing 40kg or more. This means that the First Aider can see how much pressure they are applying and if the sensors will indicate if more pressure needs to be applied.
Simply follow these steps:
1. Place the mask over the casualty's mouth
2. Position the pad on the lower half of the casualty's chest
3. Switch the pad on. An audible 100 beats per minute tone will begin.
4. Continue CPR as normal by pressing down onto the pad placed on the chest.

Pack contains:
Training Video DVD including CPR
2 pairs gloves
1 Sensor Pad
1 x battery
1 x face mask
Water resistant carry case that can be fitted to the wall.

I've made a decision to invest in this device for training courses in order to help course participants to become more proficient for longer.

The retail price of this is approximately £140 inc VAT (plus delivery) and if you want to invest in one so you can practice your skills or learn more about it then visit www.optimum-training.com

A recent report by the BBC** claims people who make irrational decision when faced with problems are at the mercy of their emotions.
The report goes on to state that the Brain’s emotional centre, the amygdala, is the origin of decisions and it becomes extremely active in people faced with a difficult situation but reactions to its affects vary, according to Researchers at the University College London.
The researchers found the people that kept a cool head managed to keep their emotions in check, whereas others were led by their emotional response.*

This is useful information to know as First Aiders. Many First Aiders are concerned that they will not be able to respond in an emergency situation. When surveyed, 60% of new course participants (“new” meaning they had never attended a first aid course before) voiced this as their primary concern.

Daniel Goldman, author of the international bestseller Emotional Intelligence demonstrated how we can control our emotional responses by first of all becoming aware of the responses.

Emotions, if left unchecked can fuel irrational acts, however that need not be the case. I often talk about having a “casualty driven” approach to first aid when dealing with a casualty as opposed to being “procedure driven”. What does this mean? A casualty driven approach to first aid means that as a First Aider, you focus on what you can do for the casualty rather than focussing on whether or not you are following the "correct" procedure.

This doesn’t mean that procedures aren’t important. Of course they are. What it means is that procedures should only be used as guidelines, because every single first aid situation is totally unique. Although there are similarities between different incidents, they are never the same. So procedures should be taught as guidance only.

Focus on what help the individual casualty wants/needs from you. Ask yourself “What does this casualty want/need from me right now?” When you do this, you’ll find yourself responding better in any situation – because when you focus on the casualty rather than yourself, your brain’s emotional centre may be less active as the logical and creative hemispheres of the brain are actively seeking answers to your question.


** Source: BBC Website 3 August 2006* The study findings were published in the Science Journal, according to the BBC report.