Mark Sanders wrote: >Interesting point. They probably technically die of >asphyxiation if they're not breathing in water. G'Day Mark and Paddlewise, I guess my concern is how long have I got to effect a rescue on an unconscious submerged rescuee and carry out CPR, assuming its even possible to do so? Has anyone ever successfully carried out CPR on someone in a kayak? My first job 36 years ago was running a crash trolley to heart attack victims at Victoria Hospital Blackpool. You had to drop everything when the alarm went off, find the trolley, get it to the bed, set it up and hope the doctor could revive the patient. And one of the risks was taking too long and reviving someone in a vegetative state. I imagine this is the sort of thing surf lifesavers would be familiar with. All the best, PeterO *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Peter... and everyone.... this turns out to be an important difference between an unconscious person as a result of cold water immersion and one who is unconscious from another reason. If you perform the hand-of-god rescue (or any rescue) on someone who shows no signs of life as a result of cold water immersion I believe that there is some evidence that CPR should not stop just because there is no response within a few minutes. This is especially true the younger the victim is. There have been numerous reports of survival after even 30 and 40 minutes of being underwater. No one is completely sure why it works for some and not for others, but many people immersed in cold water go into some sort of special shock in which their brain cells to into a form of hibernation. These people can often be completely revived with no (or few) long term problems. The younger the person, the more chance of survival. The colder the water the more chance of survival. I understand that it might be difficult to perform effective CPR on someone unconscious in a kayak but if you can get someone rafted up then at least perform chest compressions until you can get the victim ashore. Some CPR experts are now saying that chest compressions do more good than mouth-to-mouth as the compressions get some new air into the lungs. I cannot find a web reference to this just offhand but I bet some of the Paddlewisers will have one. Craig Jungers Moses Lake, WA *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Today's Star Tribune has a story about a grandmother who fell in her daughter's driveway in subfreezing temperatures and was unable to get up by herself because of arthritis. She lay there for about four hours, first shivering and then lapsing into unconsciousness. By the time her daughter got home she was still breathing, but her heart stopped beating just as the EMTs arrived. They gave her chest compressions to keep her blood moving but did not risk trying to restart her heart until they got her back to the hospital. Much to the hospital staff's amazement, she has fully recovered. She attributes her survival to her Scandinavian ancestry. By the way, unconscious people breathe, too, or they would be dead, so yes, I believe it is possible for an unconscious person to drown. Chuck __________ Information from ESET NOD32 Antivirus, version of virus signature database 3751 (20090108) __________ The message was checked by ESET NOD32 Antivirus. http://www.eset.com *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
On Jan 8, 2009, at 1:39 PM, Chuck Holst wrote: > Today's Star Tribune has a story about a grandmother who fell in her > daughter's driveway in subfreezing temperatures and was unable to > get up by > herself because of arthritis. My favorite line from the story, other than the recovered woman stating she "was a tough, old Norwegian", was a quote from one of the Attending Physicians: "We have a saying in the ER. You're not dead until you're warm AND dead." -Will *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
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