Have you ever considered learning what you should do in case you see someone suffering from a cardiac arrest or about to suffer from one? Taking such an individual to the hospital must be of prime importance but you need to keep him alive and abate the chances of a full-fledged cardiac arrest till then.
There are a number of methods that paramedics usually use for this purpose. In case there are no medical experts available instantly, these 3 methods will help you in keeping the person alive till he can receive medical help.
Administer GIK
GIK is the abbreviation used for a solution of glucose, insulin, and potassium that is administered to the individual when he is suffering or is about to suffer a cardiac arrest. Studies have shown that immediate administering of this solution reduces the chances of death or cardiac arrest setting in by 50 percent. Patients who have been administered GIK in the first place also show better results when it comes to recovering from a cardiac arrest months later. The best thing about this treatment is the fact that you can purchase GIK kits without prescriptions at your local drugstore for a very small nominal price. GIK performs its miraculous results by decreasing the damage to the cardiac tissues once a cardiac arrest has occurred. It goes around doing this by safeguarding the cells physically.
Perform Mouth To Mouth Respiration
Most patients, once they have experienced a cardiac arrest stop breathing or panting heavily. In case this leads to the stopping of breathing by the patient it might cause immense damage to his / her brain and other tissues. You must ensure that the patient continues to breathe so that his vital organs receive an uninterrupted oxygen supply. This will ensure that he doesn’t suffer from brain damage or any other internal organ failure in the long run. You can ensure this by administering a mouth-to-mouth respiratory action in order to externally provide oxygen to his system.
In case you have someone at your home who is suffering from heart disease and might succumb to cardiac arrest at any time, consider keeping oxygen cylinders at home with an oxygen mask at all times.
Perform CPR (Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation)
This step is necessary for pumping the blood from the patient’s heart to the other parts of his / her body in order to ensure that these parts don’t run out of oxygen and stop functioning. This process also helps in the pumping of oxygen externally to the patient’s lungs in order to keep him stable. You can perform this by placing the heel of one hand in the center of the victim’s chest (the lower half of the sternum, or breastbone) and the heel of your other hand on top of the first. Interlock your fingers together and press down firmly and quickly to administer CPR.
You should always be up-to-date about these methods as it might all the difference between saving and losing your loved ones.
