Tuesday, November 29, 2005

Johnny Carson

In the suburbs for 16 today.

Weakness in the supermarket turns out to be a hypoglycemic.

Medical alarm goes off in apartment building. False alarm for the 100th time at this apartment complex.

Lift assist turns into a transport. 300 pound woman with MS has had her knees buckle. She needs help getting up. She has been using a walker, but its time for a wheelchair.

87 year old man goes to MD's office for a regular appointment. Has no complaint except sometimes his legs get weak when he goes to the mall. Nurse takes his blood pressure. 80 systolic. They call 911. The man has afib, which is normal for him. I take his pressure 130/80. I sit him up 129/74. No change in pulse rate. The guy chats all the way to the hospital. Hospital BP's similar to mine. I'm think maybe the nurse took the blood pressure a little fast and just happened to hit an afib pause when the needle was dropping past 120, 110, 100, 90. When I leave the man is telling jokes to a pretty young nurse like he is Johnny Carson.

Guy at a nursing home with multiple history inclding dementia, multiple CVAs,aspiration pnemonia. Is unresponsive normally. He's congested. They send him out. He's Sating at 100% on a canuala.


***

The new American Heart Association CPR and ECC Guidelines came out this week. Here's the link:

Major Changes in the 2005 AHA Guidelines for CPR and ECC. Reaching the Tipping Point for Change

And a link to all the abstracts:

Circulation Selected Abstracts

The bottom line: "Simply put: rescuers should push hard, push fast, allow full chest recoil, minimize interruptions in compressions, and defibrillate promptly when appropriate."

I'm anxious to read some of the other recommendations in more detail.