It was advertised as "a short CPR demonstration by St John Ambulance". It turned into an enthralling 60 minute lesson by Rachel, an inspirational Wellington Free Ambulance officer.
Most of us had seen CPR and defibrillator sessions before, but all of us learned more, much more, this time. A brief summary of the session is given below. Because of the importance of the subject matter there is no deliberate mistake in the content material, although there may be a spelling error.
DEFINITIONS:
A heart attack is a plumbing problem. Cardiac arrest is an electrical problem. Both can be fatal. Cardiac arrest is unlikely to be cured by CPR alone. Both demand immediate attention.
MEMORY AIDS:
DRS
Danger - is there any danger involved, e.g. electrocution, road accident, fire?
Response - is the patient sleeping, in a coma?
Send for help - do this first and in any way you can as you will not be able to help cardiac arrest by yourself. You may have to phone 111. (forgot your phone? use the patient's phone); shout for help; if in a house ensure the front door is not locked.
When you phone for an ambulance be precise about your location. The 111 receptionist will tell you where the nearest defibrillator is.
ABC
Airways - tilt the patient's head back if necessary. (One cannot swallow one's tongue!) Are airways clear? Mouth to mouth is no longer recommended in most circumstances.
Breathing - is the patient breathing efficiently? If not, CPR is necessery.
CPR - Patient should be on their back on a firm flat surface, head tilted slightly back. Kneel alongside the patient. Run a hand from armpit to centre of chest. Place heel of one hand on that spot, other hand on top. Lean over and lock elbows into body and start pressing down hard to rhythm of "Staying Alive" (a Bee Gee's song).
Keep going in two-minute cycles until help arrives. If it is impossible to kneel next to the patient you could use your feet.
If you hear bones breaking do not worry - they will not cause anything worse than discomfort as long as you are pumping, blood, and oxygen, is reaching the brain.
To quickly find the locations of AED's Rachel suggests downloading the "AEDlocationsNZ" App to your phone. Don't forget to ring 111 first and you will be given a PIN for opening the nearest AED box.