If you read a news article stating that hospital personnel performed 5 HOURS STRAIGHT of chest compressions on a 8 year old boy, and revived him, how would you feel for yourself?

It’s my job (although not on 8 year olds)

First of all they took turns. It wasn’t one person working for 5 hours straight.

Second, I’d fact check it.

@Dutchess_III: Maybe, but I have the neat sensation that, sometimes, you can’t just take turns…and you succeed all the same.

They took turns. According to the article 30 people worked on him through that time.

I tried to read about it in the Washington Post (a source I trust) but couldn’t.

I’d feel glad that the boy survived. I wouldn’t take it as a reflection on myself at all.

I’d feel pretty happy for that boy.
I wouldn’t feel ashamed.

I wonder how many broken ribs the boy got from 5 hours of chest compressions?

They take turns. You only compress for 2 minutes at a time and you rotate. Standard procedure.

What reason would they have for compressing for 5 hours @Caravanfan? I mean, what kind of thing would they see to make them think it will work?

@dutch Because they had a backup plan to put the patient on ECMO, which is sort of a heart-lung bypass machine, but it wasn’t immediately available. So they had to do compressions until they could get it hooked up.

Ashamed ??? You are certainly one odd duck. Who do you know that would feel shame at not being able to perform the work of 30 men and women?

@stanleybmanly: How do you know there haven’t been cases with the same amount of time of chest compressions, but performed by a single person?

This is an odd question and I don’t see the point.

DITTO that.

I wonder how the kid is neurologically.

When I last took my Advanced Life Support class, it was explained that CPR almost never revives a person. You’re basically just keeping the blood oxygenated, and circulating so it won’t clot until EMS arrives. 5 hours (or even 2.5 hours with an alternating partner) would be physically exhausting.

@luigirovatti How do I know that an individual did not perform 30,000 compressions in a 5 hour period? The chances are better that you are asking these questions from inside the toaster oven in front of me now.

Let me check inside the thing. I’m VERY interested in talking to you & Flo in person.

@gorillapaws Not entirely true. If the cardiac arrest is witnessed, like this one was, there is a better chance.

@stanleybmanly and @luigirovatti
Standard CPR training is to switch compressors every 2 minutes. And now there are artificial compressors that make things easier such as the Lucas 3 compressor.

Ashamed? Why?

I can do CPR for 2 minutes. Nothing to be ashamed of there.