DO SOMETHING!

Written by Carol – In-Pulse CPR Instructor |

A number of years ago, our neighborhood experienced one of the most horrific of nightmare situations.  Little 5 year old, Shannon, was coming home from Kindergarten one very slippery January day in Pennsylvania.  The bus driver loved the children very much, lived in the neighborhood, and in 22 years of driving bus, had never had an incident.   Today was the day to change lives forever.  Shannon got off the bus at her stop and went around the front of the bus.  When she reached her side of the road, she was joined by her mother.  The bus driver always made certain that children were met by a parent prior to leaving the stop.  All was well, at least it appeared that way.  Shannon dropped a paper and the wind blew it under the bus.  Like so many impulsive children would want to do, she chased the paper..even crawling under the bus to do so.  The bus driver had no idea that Shannon was in any danger and started moving again, only to hear screams from children on the bus saying that she had run over Shannon.  The driver immediately stopped the bus, the mother was screaming, the bus driver was hysterical, neighbors called 911.

We know that Shannon had NO CHANCE for survival as her little tiny body was crushed by that heavy bus. Shannon’s mother was screaming for someone to help her daughter. Mr. Meyers, a good Samaritan neighbor began CPR on little Shannon’s body.  Did he think it would work? Did he think there was hope?  In speaking to Mr. Meyers afterwards, he told me that even though he knew that Shannon was already dead with no hope for survival, he performed CPR for the benefit of the grieving mother.  She desperately needed to know that someone cared.

Here’s what I learned from this experience…CPR is not just for the benefit of the recipient, but also so very important to the family members who want to feel that all is being done to help their loved one.  Don’t just stand and watch…DO  SOMETHING!

 

What is Capnography?

With the 2010 guidelines, American Heart Association now endorses wave form capnography.

So what is Capnography?

Capnography is becoming an integral part of the monitoring done in the prehospital environment.  A capnograph is used to monitor/measure the amount of carbon dioxide in respiratory gases.  It provides information about the effectiveness of respiration’s, and end-tidal carbon dioxide values.  The amount of expired carbon dioxide reflects the changes in metabolism, circulation respiration, the airway and breathing system and, therefore, has become a vital tool for predicting the return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) following a cardiac arrest.

To understand how this works it is best to first go back to the “basics”

Physiologically:  Carbon dioxide is produced in the tissues by metabolism and is then diffused into the blood via the venous system (this is basically equal to cardiac output)  The blood carrying carbon dioxide enters the right side of the heart and from there travels to the lungs.  This is where oxygen enters the blood.  Carbon dioxide is given out or eliminated during expiration.  The measurement of carbon dioxide that is found in the expired air indicates the amount of carbon dioxide that has been produced at the tissue level and in the delivery of it to the lungs via the circulatory system.

Capnography directly monitors the inhaled and exhaled concentration of carbon dioxide.  It does this by monitoring the concentration or partial pressure of carbon dioxide.

Predicting the ROSC during CPR can be very difficult.  Survival is dependent upon many things, such as, the factors surrounding the arrest, pre-existing medical limits to the resuscitation efforts, time of onset of cardiac arrest, etc.  The constant assessment of etCO2 during CPR gives a good indication of the patient with ROSC and a patient without ROSC.   If the air exchange shows enough carbon dioxide, it is a great indicator to continue with artificial respiration and CPR.

A 54yr old man from Minnesota will tell you how important capnography is.  After collapsing from a sudden cardiac arrest, emergency responders began doing CPR.  With the information received by capnography it was determined that his brain was being protected with adequate blood flow.  For 96 minutes, responders continued their efforts and the patient survived with NO injury to his brain.

Capnographs were once only found in the operating rooms but are slowly being made available to emergency personnel.

HCC Hillsborough Community College nursing students welcome to attend our CPR Training Classes

HCC Nursing students CPR Training Classes

We have a large amount of nursing and dental students who take our classes over an equivalent college offered course. Please be assured that all nursing or dental programs in the area will accept our program to fulfill your CPR requirements. When signing up please select a BLS for Healthcare course .

At In-Pulse CPR we take pride in our quality of teaching. We use the latest technology and state-of-the-art equipment to provide for an interactive, experiential learning environment. We make sure that each student leaves the classroom feeling confident in the skills they gained. Our classes are fun too!

We offer CPR certification at multiple locations across Tampa Bay.

BLS Healthcare CPR / Heath care Professional – This is the certification Hillsborough Community College nursing, dental or EMT students would need to register for. These classes are showing in yellow on our calendar.


Click here to View our Class Calendar


 

American Health Institute Port Richey students welcome to attend our CPR Training Classes

American Health Institute FL available CPR Training Classes

We have a large amount of Medical Assistants and nursing students who take our classes over an equivalent college offered course. Please be assured that all nursing programs in the area will accept our program to fulfill your CPR requirements. When signing up please select a BLS for Healthcare course .

At In-Pulse CPR we take pride in our quality of teaching. We use the latest technology and state-of-the-art equipment to provide for an interactive, experiential learning environment. We make sure that each student leaves the classroom feeling confident in the skills they gained. Our classes are fun too!

We offer CPR certification at multiple locations across Tampa Bay.


Click here to View our Class Calendar

 

BLS Healthcare CPR / Heath care Professional – This is the certification American Health Institute nursing students would need to register for. These classes are showing in yellow on our calendar.  Click on link above to view our available classes.

 

New Port Richey CPR Training Classes

New Port Richey First Aid Training Classes  |  New Port Richey AED Training Classes

Our classes are fun and complete, open to anyone, provide a two-year American Heart certification, and make use of only the most current training materials.  At In-Pulse CPR we take pride in our quality of teaching. We use the latest technology and state-of-the-art equipment to provide for an interactive, experiential learning environment. We make sure that each student leaves the classroom feeling confident in the skills they gained.

Click here to View our Class Calendar

Recent Reviews from those who have attended an In-Pulse CPR training class at our training facility in New Port Richey Florida:

  • Excellent presentation.  Left with a great deal of knowledge
  • Top notch training
  • Best one I have [ever] taken!
  • Best CPR course I’ve had in 27 years as an RN
  • Mollie is fantastic!
  • Very satisfied
  • Best CPR course I have ever taken!
  • The best CPR course I have ever taken.  Mollie was an excellent instructor, clear, to the point and easily understood.
  • Very interesting course!
  • Was very pleased with the instructors approach
  • Overall, this course was very informative and can now apply many new skills for CPR
  • [Instructor] definitely helped this soon-to-be mom feel more comfortable if (godforbid) an emergency happens
  • Great instructor

Near by to New Port Richey Florida:  Hudson, Holiday, Palm Harbor Elfers, Trinity, Odessa, Jasmine Estates, Bayonet Point, Spring Hill

Mease Countryside Hospital

Community Hospital NPR

Galen College of Nursing students welcome to attend our CPR Training Classes

Galen School of Nursing FL CPR Training Classes

We have a large amount of nursing and dental students who take our classes over an equivalent college offered course.   Please be assured that all nursing or dental programs in the area will accept our program to fulfill your CPR requirements.   When signing up please select a BLS for Healthcare course .

At In-Pulse CPR we take pride in our quality of teaching. We use the latest technology and state-of-the-art equipment to provide for an interactive, experiential learning environment. We make sure that each student leaves the classroom feeling confident in the skills they gained.  Our classes are fun too!

We offer CPR certification at multiple locations across Tampa Bay.

 
Click here to View our Class Calendar 

We offer the following certifications:

Heartsaver CPR

Heartsaver AED

BLS Healthcare CPR / Heath care Professional – This is the certification Galen College nursing, dental or EMT students would need to register for.  These classes are showing in yellow on our calendar.

Heartsaver First Aid

and More…

A Life Saved, Automatically!

Bystanders performing CPR and law enforcement officers equipped with a readily-available electronic device saved the life of a 74-year old heart attack victim in Cayucos, California. In both cases, a few hours of training made all the difference.

Ben Hunt was having dinner with his wife at a restaurant, when he looked through the window and saw a man collapse on the sidewalk across the street. The couple rushed over. Hunt felt for the man’s pulse and, finding none, began chest-compression CPR, assisted by his wife. A woman passing by, also trained in the life-saving technique, pitched in to help.

A 911 call brought two San Luis Obispo County sheriff’s deputies to the scene. One took over CPR, while the other retrieved an Automated External Defibrillator from the trunk of their cruiser. Use of the AED restored the victim’s normal heart rhythm, and after paramedics transported the man to a hospital emergency room, he was reported alert and talking with family members.

There’s nothing mysterious about using either CPR or the AED. The portable device is designed to diagnose and treat severe cardiac arrhythmia by delivering a shock to the heart, automatically! You don’t have to call a “code blue” or wait for the arrival of medical personnel, but you should get some training in use of the AED, which is very inexpensive. Fortunately, that training is part of the simple process of learning CPR at any American Heart Association-approved facility.

About one third – 500-thousand – of this country’s annual heart attack victims survive. The rate skyrockets in direct proportion to the speed with which CPR is employed, and climbs even higher when an AED is used. And it’s not merely survival: coming away from a cardiac arrest without serious medical complications depends on quick and proper application of CPR. Life itself and life quality hang in the balance in the minutes following a heart attack.

In the past few years, the Heart Association has adopted new guidelines for effective CPR. Whether it’s a stranger or a loved one at home, the life of a heart attack victim may depend on your knowledge of contemporary techniques. Acquiring that knowledge is easy. The rewards are beyond calculation.

My dad is Superman

The morning of the 3rd Saturday in May of 2008 was not any different than any other 3rd Saturday of any other month for Joe Fernando. A librarian by profession, Joe was also a trained first aid support volunteer. More like a custom out of habit, Joe got up late, prepared himself for the day ahead. After washing his car, and feeding Mitch, his pet dog, Joe called Emily, his daughter downstairs and asked her if she was ready. “As always,” was the reply. It was a father-daughter ritual they had. Every 3rd Saturday of the month, Joe and Emily would go out somewhere. Usually it was the local park or the zoo. But today Joe decided for the newly opened amusement park nearby. Little did he know that today would be the most different Saturday he could have concocted.


When Fun Turned Sour

 

The amusement park was really a fun place to be. The crowd seemed energetic and eager, and Emily looked happy with all the various rides, shops, and games all around her. This made Joe happy too. Joe was looking at Emily’s happy face when suddenly Emily screamed. Her eyes were thrust wide open and she seemed to be in total shock. Looking in the direction she was staring at, Joe saw it too. A man, had fallen off a ride and landed hard on the concrete ground below, and wasn’t moving at all.

 

“Surely he cannot be dead”

 

Joe was shocked. He had seen accidents in the past, but nothing could have prepared him for this, not with Emily around. However, being a first aid trainer, his mind was already conjuring up his first aid skills. He quickly ran to where the man laid. The man was middle aged, must have been around 40, heavily built. His shoulders and chest seemed to have taken a strong hit, as some abrasions and cuts indicated. He checked the man’s vital signs first. The man wasn’t breathing, and neither was there a sign of any pulse. It had hardly been 2 to 3 minutes since the fall, “surely, he cannot be dead,” was Joe’s thought. He concluded that the man must have gone into a sudden cardiac arrest due to the trauma. Time was running out quickly.

 

A Life to be Saved

 

Joe knew that if there were any chances of saving the man, CPR was his only hope. He told a nearby person to immediately call 911, and prepared himself for the standard CPR procedure. He asked the crowd to give him and the severely injured man some breathing space. After adequately supporting the man’s spine and neck, he alternated between the 30 chest compressions and 2 mouth-to-mouth respirations he knew could possibly save a life. At first nothing seemed to be happening, but Joe was not set to lose hope. After a few more compressions, to Joe’s immense relief, the man’s heart started pumping again and the man started breathing.

 

“I have always believed in angels”

 

Remo Smith, the man who fell out of the ride and almost perished, says that when he slipped out of the protective harness, his first thought was that an angel would catch him. And angel did, with the name of Joe. Not only was Joe a life saver, but a hero too, inspiring life and determination in everyone, with his CPR coming in as the savior of the day. And Emily said, “I knew my dad was Superman.”

Survival story of a cardiac arrest victim at work

There is a funny quote attributed to American author and humorist Mark Twain stating that reports of his death were greatly exaggerated. Florida resident and cardiac arrest survivor Charles Morgan can honestly say, “Been there, done that!”

Morgan miraculously came back from the great beyond. According to medical experts, he was dead for 16-20 minutes before he began his road to complete recovery. What started out as a regular day at work as a car salesman in West Palm Beach turned into an evening full of ferocious efforts to ensure the 52-year-old grandfather’s survival.

Little did Morgan know that when he went outside of the Schumacher Volkswagen dealership for a smoke break his life would be on the line. When his boss, Rich Harward, was about to go out to join Morgan, he was told by another employee that Morgan was outside, face down, in the dirt, with his legs twitching. Another associate called 911, but Harward knew that every second counted, and he went into action. The former police officer and U.S. Marine cleared Morgan’s airway by moving his tongue out of the way and then began chest compressions. His CPR efforts continued until paramedics from Fire Station 5 arrived and took over the lifesaving task. Soon Morgan was on his way to the hospital, where doctors were so pleased to witness his progress in the days after the death-defying episode.

Morgan’s survival story has many chapters. The first was Harward’s quick response with hands-on assistance. The second was the arrival of paramedics who used some new, high-tech gadgets to keep him going through the early phases of treatment. The third – the one that is quite basic and down-to-earth – kept the patient cool. The medical term for chilling down is hypothermia therapy. By using refrigerated IV bags to lower a patient’s body temperature, brain swelling and tissue destruction were avoided.

In February, 2011, the lifesaving team and grateful survivor got together for a joyful reunion at West Palm Beach Fire Station 5. Morgan was captivated by paramedics recounting the tale of his escape through death’s door and expressed his gratitude to all.

Although Morgan has no recollection of the valiant efforts to save his life two months earlier, his actions show that he has learned an important lesson, and he is seizing the opportunity for a second chance at life. As a result of his dance with death during a massive heart attack, he has stopped smoking, started a prescribed exercise program and follows his cardiologist’s orders.

Survivor Story of a Cardiac Arrest Victim – Highway to Hell

Robert Hill and his two kids Emma and Jade were driving back from their weekend trip from the amusement park. It was a custom with the Hill family to take a trip the final weekend of the month; only this time Christy, Robert’s wife, hadn’t been feeling too well and skipped the trip. Both the kids were in the backseat of the car and were nodding off as they were tired from their adventures they experienced during the day. Robert smiled as he looked into their eyes.

Calamity Strikes

 

Robert was driving their SUV at a gentle pace of thirty miles per hour. He was a very careful driver and had also worked as a driving instructor for a small company. Currently, he volunteers as a paramedic for the emergency response team at the local fire station. His thoughts were on his wife back at home, and he didn’t notice the speeding white mustang that overtook him and tried to speed through the red light at the signal. He was jolted back to reality by a loud crash of metal and glass. The Mustang had hit a minivan in the center of the crossing and the other vehicle was flipped on its side. The driver of the mustang was already out of his car and was fleeing the accident scene on foot.

 

“Please let there not be any fatalities.”

 

Hill sat frozen for a moment. Then his trained first aid instincts sprang into action. He leapt out of his car and ran over to the upturned minivan. The windscreen had shattered and he could see a man of about fifty year’s old unconscious against the side of the van that was now in contact with the ground. He leaned in through the window opening and tried to pull the man out. A number of thoughts were running through his mind; “Support his neck, there might be a spinal injury, I don’t see blood, there could be an internal hemorrhage.” The guy was hefty and it took some effort but Hill was able to safely pull him out of the van and onto the road. He wasn’t breathing and Hill couldn’t find a pulse either.

 

A Man of Action

 

Hill knew that CPR was the only hope this man had for his life. He was surprised that the driver had gone into cardiac arrest since there appeared to have been no direct impact to his chest. The crash was loud but the impact had not been too harsh. However there was no time to waste. As a part of his training process, Hill had practiced mouth-to-mouth breathing techniques several times, but this was the first occasion he’d be using it in a genuine situation. On his very first attempt at resuscitation, the man’s heart became active and gradually he started breathing evenly.

 

“He saved my Life”

 

James Burgon, the driver of the minivan, remembers to this day what transpired when he’d been driving back in his minivan from the grocery store. “Had it not been for Robert Hill, I would have been a dead man, he saved my life.” Burgon was 53 when he had this accident and was already a heart patient and went into cardiac arrest simply due to the shock of the impact. Hill’s CPR had saved his life in the nick of time. Even more so, the hit and run suspect was caught by police a couple of hours later hiding behind someone’s bushes in their front yard.

Let me tell you about Alex

If you have never witnessed a person go in to cardiac arrest then consider your self lucky. If you have then you experienced one of two things:

1: Complete helplessness

2: An overwhelming sense to act

 

Those of you who would relate with the ladder must be CPR certified.

If you can’t relate to either, let me tell you about Alex.

 

Alex was an average man in his mid twenties. He was never the Heroic type. Never one to jump in to a raging river to save someone drifting away or run  in to a burning building because their might be occupants, but that is neither here no there.

Alex was strolling through the mall one afternoon when he came across a large group of people gathered around a center point on the floor. In the middle of this chaotic gathering was an elderly man unconscious. Alex asked a by stander what happened and he said the man was grasping his chest and sweating profusely before he fell unconscious. Having taken a CPR certification class at his place of work, Alex knew that this man had just gone in to cardiac arrest. He made his way through the crowd and brushed off the random people who were attempting to “help”. Alex checked his pulse and breathing and with what he learned, knew that he needed to act quickly. He began CPR and had a by stander call 911. He continued breathing and chest compression until EMT’s arrived on the scene. Because of Alex and what he knew, that man went home the next day to his wife of 46 years and got to see his six grand children again.

Every year that man sends Alex an invitation to his birthday party. In the invitation it says, “I’m only here because of you kido.”

If Alex hadn’t taken that optional CPR certification class, the elderly man would have died on the floor that Saturday afternoon, and Alex would have been just like everyone else in the crowd, crippled with helplessness. Instead, Alex was a hero and saved a life that no one else there could.

Talk to your supervisor today about getting a certification class in your office or place of work. Tomorrow could be your day to save a life.

Survival story of a cardiac arrest victim walking to work

Gas is expensive. Cars carrying commuters add huge amounts of pollutants to our already dirty air. By walking to work, those hardy souls who leave the auto at home and hop into a pair of sneakers for the daily trip on foot are getting some valuable exercise and saving the planet, too. But for one 58-year-old Minneapolis resident, the 4-mile walk to work along the Mississippi River one day in 2008 could have been his last.

No doubt, Michael McKee thought he was in relatively good shape. Although he did not feel that walking to work would put his life in jeopardy, he did have hypertension and an elevated cholesterol level. Another risk factor was his family’s heart disease history. But since walking seems like such a benign activity, dealing with a sudden cardiac arrest was totally unexpected.

McKee does not recall the events of that fateful day when he literally passed away and was brought back to life. When the story was first recounted to him, he was under the impression that a doctor riding his bicycle to work had seen McKee collapse to the ground. Supposedly, that physician immediately began CPR as he awaited the arrival of an ambulance. Later McKee found out that no one had witnessed his cardiac arrest and that he had probably been on the ground for quite a while before the doctor’s arrival on scene and lifesaving measures were employed.

Apparently, two people were already standing around McKee when the doctor noticed the commotion, got off his bike and began CPR. Thanks to his valiant efforts, McKee was brought back from the dead. And another surprise revelation was that two physicians had actually pulled McKee back from the point of no return. A bystander who lives across the street from the site of the incident went into his home and got his houseguest, another doctor, to help.

When the ambulance arrived, EMTs needed to shock his heart several times in order to get an adequate rhythm going before transporting him to the Hennepin County Medical Center (Minnesota). Luckily, the incident had been reported as a witnessed cardiac arrest, the type with the best chance of complete recovery, and McKee received therapeutic hypothermia, a procedure that protects the brain from damage. That treatment involves placing ice bags and/or cold gel pads around the patient’s groin area and armpits and, when in the hospital, using a machine that cools down the body.

McKee spent more than a week in the hospital. Insertion of a stent addressed the cardiac blockage issue. He fine-tuned his diet and followed his cardiologist’s drug regime. Within 6 weeks of what could have been the end, McKee was back at work and able to walk about 5 miles a day. McKee is happy to be alive and has one message for firemen, other first responders and anyone who comes upon a cardiac arrest victim: never give up. Whether an incident is witnessed or not, employing CPR and keeping the victim cool saved McKee’s life and could save many, many more.

Eureka! They Found CPR!

A man in Eureka, Oregon is alive today because two bystanders gave him CPR after he suffered a heart attack. It was shortly after eight in the morning, when a 911 dispatcher got the call: a man had collapsed in a shopping mall. A Fire Department Emergency Response team raced to the scene, and found the two bystanders taking turns administering chest compressions. Smart! The number of compressions per minute that result in the best survival rates is probably more than a single person  handle, although any effort is better than none.

 

When the paramedics arrived, they took over CPR and also used a portable defibrillator to restore cardiac rhythm. The man developed a pulse and, in the ambulance, began breathing on his own. But it was the prompt action of two strangers that gave him the chance to live, according to the responders.

 

The story underscores the importance of knowing current CPR methods, of course, but also shows the importance of asking for help from others with similar training if you find yourself in the position of saving a life. The number of chest compressions recommended for effective CPR, meaning to keep blood flowing to the organs, especially the brain, is 100 per minute! Keeping that up for any length of time takes a lot of stamina. And obviously, knowing where to place your hands on the victim’s torso and how much force to apply is critical. Learning those things is simple. The American Heart association partners with local organizations to offer public and private CPR classes in your area.

 

Schedule a CPR training session today! Visit inpulsecpr.com.com for more information on local classes in your area.

 

The AHA reports survival rates triple when heart attack victims receive bystander CPR quickly. In a sad symmetry, however, that happens only a third of the time. Since research finds that strangers are quite willing to help, even more so than family-members, probably due to fear of harming a loved one, it’s apparent many more people need to learn CPR, and knowledge of the best method has evolved, so re-training is important, too.

 

Around 500 thousand Americans will die from hearts attacks this year, if the statistical average holds true. The data on effective CPR make it clear that many of those deaths are preventable.

Survival story of a cardiac arrest victim on the golf course

When a weekend golfer lives in an area that gets blasted by winter’s furious snowstorms and seemingly endless stretches of sub-freezing weather, playing a round with a bunch of buddies on a gorgeous course on a warm, sunny day is something to celebrate. But when hitting the ball off the 15th tee is immediately followed by collapsing lifelessly onto the turf and quickly turning purple, it’s not a pretty picture.

Bill Kushubar was just an average, 54-year-old guy who enjoyed an occasional game of golf in Harrisburg, PA when his life was unexpectedly on the line in 2009. Other than being moderately overweight, he never felt he was seriously at risk for sudden cardiac arrest. No doubt, he would not have thought he was in good enough shape to participate in something demanding like a marathon or a speed skating competition. But golf? It seems so safe, relaxing and laid back

As soon as Kushubar hit the ball approaching the 15th hole, he hit the ground. At first, his playing partners thought he was being dramatic in reaction to a bad shot. As Kushabar started to turn purple, his friends realized the seriousness of the situation. He was unconscious and not breathing. One friend, Charlie Sourbeer, took command and literally saved Kushabar’s life.

As Sourbeer told another friend to call 911, he started to apply CPR to Kushabar. Although it had been 15 years since he received CPR training at work, he didn’t skip a beat. He worked on Kushabar for about 20 minutes and was getting quite exhausted himself when a passing jogger stopped to offer assistance. He was happy to pitch in and take over for Sourbeer. Fortunately for Kushabar, that stranger turned out to be a personal trainer who also knew CPR and more advanced lifesaving procedures.

Sourbeer was the first person in a chain of many that allowed Kushabar to live. One whose efforts might have meant the difference between barely surviving (with significant brain damage) and surviving without any ill effects was Kushabar’s wife, a nurse. She insisted that her husband’s body temperature be lowered so that his brain would be protected. In the absence of cooling blankets, ice bags were placed under his armpits and in the groin area.

An ambulance had been dispatched many minutes earlier, but it got bogged down on the soggy fairways of the golf course. Some quick thinking led to the emergency medical team reaching the victim by hopping on a flat bed landscaping truck. After multiple zaps by a defibrillator and other lifesaving intervention, Kushabar was stabilized enough to be transported to the Osteopathic Hospital of Harrisburg and then on to Harrisburg Hospital. His final destination was the University of Pennsylvania Hospital, where extensive tests could not show any significant heart blockages and the directive to lose some weight was issued.

Although Kushabar does not recall the events of his attack and the days immediately following it, his friends and family have filled him in. He jokes about needing numerous applications of the defibrillator and being given the Last Rites twice. He is taking positive steps to improve his health by eliminating many fatty foods from his diet, resulting in a 30-pound weight loss. He no longer lets things that are out of his control upset him. This survivor of sudden cardiac arrest is grateful for his second chance and maintains a wonderful sense of humor.

Did you know cat litter weighs a ton?

It was about 5:30 in the evening and I was cooking  dinner.  I was wondering how my 74 year old father was doing on his first day on the job as a bagger at Publix.  It had been over six months that we had lost my Mom and I had done everything I could to get him back out and working and seeing people again.

Dad had been sitting for long periods of time and this was not healthy.  He needed to get up and move  or as they always say “get that blood pumping.”  When I called, he didn’t answer right away.  Finally, I heard a breathy “hello” on the other end and I asked him how it went.”   My Dad, a former golden gloves boxer was usually very positive and upbeat when describing things and he said, “terrible.  I’m exhausted and I’m going to bed.  Did you know cat litter weighs a ton?  I thought to myself, “it’s 5:30 in the AFTERNOON!  He can’t go to bed now.  I said, “you know we were going to get you that stress test next week to see if all of your pistons are firing in the right order, why don’t we just run over to the ER and see if they can’t do it sooner?  I was shocked when he agreed to go.  Once we got to the ER, things began to move rapidly, tests were performed and on Monday morning, my father went through a procedure called coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery.  It’s where blood flow is rerouted through a new artery or vein that is grafted around diseased sections of your coronary arteries to increase blood flow to the heart muscle tissue. Within a week he was out of the hospital and after spending ten days in a rehab facility to gain his strength back, he went home.  It’s been over four and a half years, and my soon to be 79 year old father is working parting time, but it does not involve lifting 10# bags of of cat litter!

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Disclaimer:
Use of any advise on this site is purely at your own risk.  The information supplied is designed to accompany CPR and first aid training not to replace.  In-Pulse CPR, Inc disclaims any liability for losses you incur as a result of inaccuracy of the information provided on this website.  Information on this site is for education, supplemental to examination by and advice of medical professionals.   Any information regarding first aid treatments is not meant to replace the advice of medical professionals including physicians, paramedics, emergency room attendants, nurses or other licensed medical personnel.