I had to do CPR today

[mstevens]

Because of my work, there tend to be tons of physicians and EMT's around so it's been rare that I've been a first responder on a scene. I did do CPR on my aunt after, it turned out, her lung cancer eroded through her subclavian artery (so nothing I could do at home would've helped). That's the only time I've ever done CPR, including in the hospital.

The first accident scene I ever stopped at was when I'd just finished my first aid instructor course in high school. A car had hit a tractor-trailer on an overpass and submarined under the trailer. There was a cop directing traffic around but nobody actually doing anything near the vehicles. The cop told me to get away and that they'd already called it in as a DOA, but I decided to look anyway. The driver had been able to lie down across the front seat just before impact and had been belted in. Nobody had even really checked, and he was conscious and terrified. When I told the cop the driver disagreed about being DOA, he barely looked embarrassed at all. I spent the next half-hour pulling windshield off the guy so it didn't smother him as much until the ambulance arrived. The crew told me nobody had ever notified them it wasn't a DOA.

I don't think the rate of positive outcomes in community-performed CPR is anywhere near as high as 30%, but I could be wrong. No matter what, the rate is far lower if nobody even tries at all.

Sorry the outcome wasn't good, but in my opinion the most important thing is that somebody tried. Thank you on behalf of the rest of the world for trying.