Tony Coffey, an Australian first aid expert with 28 years of experience and co-founder of Survival Skills Vietnam, outlines the basic knowledge to differentiate and provide proper first aid for the two situations mentioned above.
What is sudden cardiac arrest?
Sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) can occur in any healthy person or individual with no underlying medical conditions, from children to adults.
This is a health event that cannot be predicted or diagnosed in advance. SCA involves the electrical activity of the heart and occurs when the electrical system in the heart fails to function properly, causing the heart to only vibrate instead of contracting to collect and pump blood as usual, or causing the heart to twitch abnormally, failing to pump blood.
When a sudden stroke occurs, brain damage will occur within 3-4 minutes, and death will follow within a few minutes if the person does not receive immediate and proper first aid.
The progression of SCA occurs with little to no warning. The victim suddenly collapses and becomes unconscious, then respiratory and cardiac arrest occur very quickly.
Recognizing a stroke
Meanwhile, stroke is caused by issues related to the blood vessels in the brain and the pumping of blood to the brain. Specifically, it can result from ruptured blood vessels due to high blood pressure, cerebral vascular malformations, blood clots, or cholesterol buildup blocking blood flow to the brain. The part of the brain deprived of oxygen-rich blood will gradually die, leading to symptoms ranging from mild to severe. Some symptoms may appear and disappear temporarily as the blood clot moves to another location.
The signs of stroke can be remembered using the English acronym FAST. F stands for Face: one side of the face is distorted or asymmetrical; A stands for Arm: one arm is numb or weak compared to the other, the weaker arm often cannot hold its position for more than 10 seconds; S stands for Speech: the patient suddenly becomes tongue-tied, stutters, speaks incoherently, cannot express themselves, or has a distorted tongue or mouth; T stands for Time: immediately call emergency services (115) or take the patient to a hospital with stroke treatment capabilities. The golden time frame for saving someone with these three FAS signs is 3-4 hours.
In some cases, severe blood vessel rupture or blockage can cause the patient to suddenly collapse. However, unlike SCA, when they collapse, they don't immediately lose consciousness but still exhibit some reactions during the brain death process. On average, after 8 minutes of respiratory and cardiac arrest, the heart begins to die. Cardiac death following brain death progresses over time, so during this stage, the victim still exhibits some reactions before gradually becoming unresponsive, breathing irregularly, and then ceasing to breathe.
Without proper first aid, they will die. Strokes often occur in people with underlying conditions such as high blood pressure, high levels of bad cholesterol in the blood vessels, cerebral vascular malformations, varicose veins, cardiovascular disease, and blood clotting disorders.
Instructions on how to administer proper first aid.
First aid for stroke victims depends on their condition, whether they are conscious or unconscious, and if unconscious, whether they are still breathing normally. If they are conscious, immediately call emergency services (115) and take them to the hospital. If unconscious but still breathing normally, place them on their side to prevent fluids or vomit from entering the airway, as well as to prevent the tongue from hanging down and obstructing the airway. In the worst-case scenario of a stroke, the patient is unconscious, breathing irregularly, or has stopped breathing. At this point, cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is necessary. This is also the first aid step for someone experiencing sudden cardiac arrest.
If the victim is unconscious and has stopped breathing and their heart has stopped, the sooner CPR is performed within the first 4-8 minutes, the higher the chances of maintaining brain and heart function. If defibrillation is available early, the chances of survival increase significantly.
How to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR):
- Lay the injured person on their back on a hard, flat surface.
- The first responder kneels beside the injured person.
- Place both hands together or on top of each other (see photo), right in the middle of the chest, between the two lungs, creating a compressive force that pushes down straight down to 1/3 of the thickness of the victim's rib cage (on average about 5 cm for adults) and the compression speed is 100-120 compressions per minute.
- After performing 30 consecutive chest compressions, gently lift the chin to slightly push the victim's head back to open the airway, then quickly blow two breaths into the victim's mouth or nose. Observe if the victim's chest slightly rises due to the air being blown in; this indicates correct technique. Note that when blowing into the mouth, one hand must firmly pinch/cover the nose. If blowing into the nose, the victim's mouth must be tightly closed to prevent air from escaping.
- Give two breaths of air in no more than two seconds, then immediately return to chest compressions and maintain the CPR cycle of 30 chest compressions - 2 breaths, until medical personnel arrive, or until the patient wakes up and shows signs of breathing on their own. At this point, they still need to be taken to the hospital.
First aid is an extremely important and necessary step before a victim receives professional medical assistance, and it can help preserve the victim's life or future quality of life. When someone suffers cardiac arrest, immediately applying CPR is crucial to buy time for them while waiting for emergency services to arrive. Without timely and proper execution, subsequent advanced cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) measures may not be as effective. Readers can find more detailed information on CPR techniques and first aid skills guided by expert Tony Coffey on the Survival Skills Vietnam SSVN YouTube channel or Facebook page. |
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/phan-biet-dot-quy-va-ngung-tim-dot-ngot-1851080225.htm
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