Can Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) really restart a person's heart?

[Hypercube]

Does anyone know whether Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation and/or mouth-to-mouth resuscitation are really able to bring a person back to life like they are consistently portrayed as being able to do in the movies? Don't misunderstand, I know that both techniques are routinely used to keep someone alive until the ambulance arrives by keeping their blood flowing and oxygenated, but can they actually restart a person's heart and make it beat again on its own? Or is that a complete myth?

[insane_alien]

Does anyone know whether Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation and/or mouth-to-mouth resuscitation are really able to bring a person back to life like they are consistently portrayed as being able to do in the movies? Don't misunderstand, I know that both techniques are routinely used to keep someone alive until the ambulance arrives by keeping their blood flowing and oxygenated, but can they actually restart a person's heart and make it beat again on its own? Or is that a complete myth?

 

yes, it can. but it's pretty damn rare. its absolutely nothing like in the movies. It's not completely useless, it will raise the survival chances but only slightly, it's a 'this is the best you can do without equipment and experience' measure and shouldn't be relied on.

 

The movies don't portray how long you'll actually have to do it (They always seem to give up after a few repetitions which could be compared to letting the patient die in some cases) and people certainly don't come back if you've left them alone for a few minute and then suddenly thump them on the chest and cry a lot.

 

The movies fudge it beyond all belief.

[timo]

It's not completely useless, it will raise the survival chances but only slightly.

If I remember correctly from reading a statistic about the topic several years ago (when I worked in the field), it raises average survival rates significantly, namely from practically zero to a two-digit percentage (which I think goes up to ~50% in case of immediate CPR performed by professionals).

[insane_alien]

If I remember correctly from reading a statistic about the topic several years ago (when I worked in the field), it raises average survival rates significantly, namely from practically zero to a two-digit percentage (which I think goes up to ~50% in case of immediate CPR performed by professionals).

 

I didn't think it was as high as that. I've been told a number of figures but they've all been below ten for only basic training. But still, any chance is better than no chance.

[timo]

The intellectual lemming would point to Wikipedia now: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cardiopulmonary_resuscitation#Effectiveness

[Hypercube]

I'm not asking whether CPR can save a person's life, I know that it can and does. What I want to know is whether it can actually restart a person's heart all by itself in the same way that a defibrillator can? Like in the movies; person isn't breathing and has no pulse, good samaritan gives them CPR/mouth-to-mouth, and the person suddenly jerks up with a loud gasp as their heart and lungs start working on their own again. Is this scenario possible?

[Fanghur]

I'm not asking whether CPR can save a person's life, I know that it can and does. What I want to know is whether it can actually restart a person's heart all by itself in the same way that a defibrillator can? Like in the movies; person isn't breathing and has no pulse, good samaritan gives them CPR/mouth-to-mouth, and the person suddenly jerks up with a loud gasp as their heart and lungs start working on their own again. Is this scenario possible?

 

I'm pretty sure that for the most part, this is pure nonsense. CPR can certainly keep a person alive until proper help arrives assuming it's done correctly, but it can't bring people back from the dead. If I'm wrong, somebody convince me.

[timo]

I'm pretty sure that for the most part, this is pure nonsense. CPR can certainly keep a person alive until proper help arrives assuming it's done correctly, but it can't bring people back from the dead. If I'm wrong, somebody convince me.

I remember having been called to an emergency where upon arrival the patient was alive, but had had received CPR by a neighbor who was present at the time he dropped dead (*). That fits rather well to what IA said above, namely that successful reanimation by CPR alone can happen, albeit extremely rarely. For the whole thing about survival rates you also have to keep in mind the state of the patient. In some cases an otherwise healthy person just drops dead (who has very good chances of successful reanimation), in some cases no one really wants the patient to survive (and in some very lucky sub-cases you even have a written document of the patient declaring he doesn't want to, either), and performing CPR on a person that died from blood loss is technically possible (and required by law), but rather pointless in the first place.

 

(*) Naturally, I can only give the story the neighbor told us. The patient may in principle simply not have been dead, but merely appeared so to the neighbor.

 

@Hypercube: I felt that you answer was already answered, but I can of course restate the points already mentioned:

- CPR alone can not save a person's life as well as CPR + defibrilation + proper artificial ventilation + Adrenaline + Atropine. At least not in all cases. That's why you add the "pluses" in professional reanimation in the first place.

- It can happen that you perform CPR to a person that you assume being dead, and some time later find that the patient breathes, again.

- I've never seen a person to "suddenly jerk up with a loud gasp as their heart and lungs start working on their own again". Also not after defibrilation. It doesn't make that much sense to me, anyways: if the body is severely weakened, I would expect body function to set in slowly and weakly, not suddenly and strong. That is, of course, also just my personal impression and not the result of a scientific survey.

[Hypercube]

 

- I've never seen a person to "suddenly jerk up with a loud gasp as their heart and lungs start working on their own again". Also not after defibrilation. It doesn't make that much sense to me, anyways: if the body is severely weakened, I would expect body function to set in slowly and weakly, not suddenly and strong. That is, of course, also just my personal impression and not the result of a scientific survey.

 

I wasn't implying that I believe that would actually happen. However, I have seen numerous Hollywood movies in which a similar miraculous recovery takes place, so I was just using that as a baseline for my questioning.

[Prometheus]

I'm pretty sure that for the most part, this is pure nonsense. CPR can certainly keep a person alive until proper help arrives assuming it's done correctly, but it can't bring people back from the dead. If I'm wrong, somebody convince me.

 

It would depend on how death is defined. In the UK, and most western countries i assume, it is defined as brain stem death. Japan has it as cessation of cardio-respiratory function. By these differing definitions one might have been kept alive in the UK but was brought back to life in Japan, both via CPR. Timo answered the rest.

 

Kind of related, found this article arguing individuals should be allowed to define death for themselves: http://jme.bmj.com/c.../3/146.abstract

Interesting implications for organ donation and 'do not attempt resus' orders.

[doG]

What I want to know is whether it can actually restart a person's heart all by itself in the same way that a defibrillator can?

Yes, it does happen occasionally. It is most effective when applied immediately when the heart stops. When I learned CPR they were still teaching the cardiopulmonary thump which was effective in some cases when applied at the time a heart attack stopped the heart It is now discouraged because of misuse causing more injury to the patient.

[Michael_Viggars]

If you're interested in cardiology and heart attacks take a little look on my Fabrice Muamba piece on my blog at WordPress: http://michaelviggars.com/2012/06/08/fabrice-muamba/

 

any feedback would be appreciated!

[Prometheus]

My feedback is... Bolton really missed Muamba, and now we're down.

[jeskill]

I was told by a little bird that during cardiopulmonary resuscitation, it's very common that the ribs break. Is this true?

[doG]

I don't know about 'very' common but it is common. The required chest depressions are deeper than regular breathing and prolonged CPR really works the ribs to and fro more than they ever move naturally.

[Alan McDougall]

Does anyone know whether Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation and/or mouth-to-mouth resuscitation are really able to bring a person back to life like they are consistently portrayed as being able to do in the movies? Don't misunderstand, I know that both techniques are routinely used to keep someone alive until the ambulance arrives by keeping their blood flowing and oxygenated, but can they actually restart a person's heart and make it beat again on its own? Or is that a complete myth?

 

Here is what happened to me.

 

Alan McDougall died numeruos times due to heart block/and came back

 

On the 18th August 2011 I died numerous times on the resuscitation table due to third stage heart block. I went through the whole drama of my heart stopping, flat lining over and over again, adrenaline, atropine were injected directly into my heart and the shock paddles first used and then chest depressions, used over and over again in a desperate effort to get my heart to beat again on its own.

 

If I had any doubts about life after death I have none now, each time my heart stopped my soul or consciousness left my body and went into other dimensions of Existence. At first I only remembered a little of what went on in those three hours of life and death struggle but lately I have begun to remember more and more about the strange otherworldly realms I saw over the period of three hours. Each time they got my heart to beat I came back.

 

I saw numerous people all gathered to welcome me into the afterlife, all my beloved were there. It seemed like a welcome home party but as soon as the doctors got my heart to beat I was drawn back to the earthly world. Another time I saw a tree with a lot of books situated around it. Reading what was on one off the covers I saw that they contained all the knowledge of Existence. One very large book seem to consolidate all that what was in the smaller books but when I tried to lift it was too heavy to carry and I decided to return later for it

 

I saw a beautiful pulsating orb of golden light that I took for Jesus as it emanated perfect peace and love. I had no tunnel and meeting of a being of light. I think because I was continually being resuscitated by the medical treeam

 

Each time I flatlined my consciousness I seemed to go way for a lifetime, but on the table only seconds passed. Time over here on earth does not flow like it does in the spiritual realm.

 

It took three hours to install a tremporary pacemaker to maintain the pulse at 80 beats per/minute instead of the 5 to zero it had been beating/not beating on the resuscitation table. I was told by the doctor that I had been “really really dead”

 

I now have a permanent pacemaker in my chest which should last ten years and despite the great shock of the event I am felling very alive and well