3 ms·

> yet 50% of the time (I have no reference for this statistic but I'm gonna be bold and use it anyway) it is a her. It's not btw. Cardiac arrest is not 50/50,

> yet 50% of the time (I have no reference for this statistic but I'm gonna be bold and use it anyway) it is a her. It's not btw. Cardiac arrest is not 50/50, it's more like 70/30. You're much more likely to have to perform CPR on a man (unless you're primarily surrounded by very old people, I suppose). Women are more likely to not receive proper CPR though, likely because bystanders are afraid to be accused of improper conduct and/or afraid to hurt them (as women are generally significantly older then men when they get their first cardiac arrest). Also, in general: before you start CPR, remove their cloths from the upper body. There a chance they may suffer from ventricular fibrillation which can be solved with an AED. If you start CPR without having removed their (upper body) cloths, you can't use the AED without a long pause - at which point you've lost a lot of time.

bookofjoe 6y ago
>Cardiac arrest is not 50/50, it's more like 70/30. You're much more likely to have to perform CPR on a man (unless you're primarily surrounded by very old people, I suppose). From: Sex‐Based Disparities in Incidence, Treatment, and Outcomes of Cardiac Arrest in the United States, 2003–2012 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4937290/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4937290/ "Of the 1,436,052 discharge records analyzed from patients who were transported alive to the emergency department of acute‐care hospitals with a cardiac arrest between 2003 and 2012, 45.4% (n=651 745) were females." >Women are more likely to not receive proper CPR though, likely because bystanders are afraid to be accused of improper conduct and/or afraid to hurt them (as women are generally significantly older than men when they get their first cardiac arrest). This is an EXCELLENT observation and correct, based on my experience running countless Code Blues over 38 years of practice as an in-hospital (neurosurgical) anesthesiologist. Women's bone density is less than that of men's, so much so that just leaning on the chest of an elderly woman can fracture ribs. Successful CPR (rare, but it does happen) in such cases almost always results in numerous rib fractures. >Also, in general: before you start CPR, remove their clothes from the upper body. There's a chance they may suffer from ventricular fibrillation which can be solved with an AED. If you start CPR without having removed their (upper body) clothes, you can't use the AED without a long pause - at which point you've lost a lot of time. I demur. The time wasted removing upper body clothing before beginning CPR lessens the chance of successful CPR (discharge from the hospital without brain damage being the criterion). Indeed, they may be in vfib, but it is unlikely, in an out-of-hospital setting, that an AED will be brought to the scene before the person dies.
- luckylion 6y ago
  That number may be different because of a lower survival chance of women combined with a lower incidence rate. I read several articles that suggested much higher rates for men, as do the heart disease deaths, I suppose. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30354377/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30354377/ lists 63% male. As for AED: It's the guideline in Germany, but we've also had a push for public availability, with most schools, banks, malls, larger offices etc having a portable one on site. I got to train with it during a first aid refresher recently, and it definitely taught me that I might need treatment as well if I'm to do CPR for 12-15 minutes.
  - bookofjoe 6y ago
    Excellent point. Most fit people can do 5 minutes of effective chest compressions before they tire. If you're alone, consider using your foot (with shoe) if your arms get tired. It's equally effective and less tiring. Watch out for the looks you'll get!
- ksaj 6y ago
  A friend of mine was an EMT and was almost sued by a woman he resuscitated. He said almost everyone, but especially women, get cracked, bruised or outright broken ribs, because there really is no "gentle" way to jostle the heart behind a cage. If someone survives CPR, they will hurt. Period. Anyway, it didn't make it to court because every witness of her painful healing period also remarked that she continually spoke of how lucky she was to be alive. Without CPR she wouldn't have such a story to tell.

bookofjoe 6y ago

>Cardiac arrest is not 50/50, it's more like 70/30. You're much more likely to have to perform CPR on a man (unless you're primarily surrounded by very old people, I suppose). From: Sex‐Based Disparities in Incidence, Treatment, and Outcomes of Cardiac Arrest in the United States, 2003–2012 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4937290/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4937290/ "Of the 1,436,052 discharge records analyzed from patients who were transported alive to the emergency department of acute‐care hospitals with a cardiac arrest between 2003 and 2012, 45.4% (n=651 745) were females." >Women are more likely to not receive proper CPR though, likely because bystanders are afraid to be accused of improper conduct and/or afraid to hurt them (as women are generally significantly older than men when they get their first cardiac arrest). This is an EXCELLENT observation and correct, based on my experience running countless Code Blues over 38 years of practice as an in-hospital (neurosurgical) anesthesiologist. Women's bone density is less than that of men's, so much so that just leaning on the chest of an elderly woman can fracture ribs. Successful CPR (rare, but it does happen) in such cases almost always results in numerous rib fractures. >Also, in general: before you start CPR, remove their clothes from the upper body. There's a chance they may suffer from ventricular fibrillation which can be solved with an AED. If you start CPR without having removed their (upper body) clothes, you can't use the AED without a long pause - at which point you've lost a lot of time. I demur. The time wasted removing upper body clothing before beginning CPR lessens the chance of successful CPR (discharge from the hospital without brain damage being the criterion). Indeed, they may be in vfib, but it is unlikely, in an out-of-hospital setting, that an AED will be brought to the scene before the person dies.

luckylion 6y ago
That number may be different because of a lower survival chance of women combined with a lower incidence rate. I read several articles that suggested much higher rates for men, as do the heart disease deaths, I suppose. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30354377/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30354377/ lists 63% male. As for AED: It's the guideline in Germany, but we've also had a push for public availability, with most schools, banks, malls, larger offices etc having a portable one on site. I got to train with it during a first aid refresher recently, and it definitely taught me that I might need treatment as well if I'm to do CPR for 12-15 minutes.
- bookofjoe 6y ago
  Excellent point. Most fit people can do 5 minutes of effective chest compressions before they tire. If you're alone, consider using your foot (with shoe) if your arms get tired. It's equally effective and less tiring. Watch out for the looks you'll get!
ksaj 6y ago
A friend of mine was an EMT and was almost sued by a woman he resuscitated. He said almost everyone, but especially women, get cracked, bruised or outright broken ribs, because there really is no "gentle" way to jostle the heart behind a cage. If someone survives CPR, they will hurt. Period. Anyway, it didn't make it to court because every witness of her painful healing period also remarked that she continually spoke of how lucky she was to be alive. Without CPR she wouldn't have such a story to tell.