Chapter 402 - Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR)
Chapter 402: Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR)
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Tian Qi looked at the old lady who was surrounded by a group of medical staff, and she originally thought that this was a rather heartwarming scene. She had even been a little curious.
After all, she had never deliberately participated in this kind of situation before.
However, when she heard the sharp beeping sounds, saw the old lady who had been talking just now with her eyes open just now almost immediately suffer from a circulatory collapse in the next second, Tian Qi suddenly felt that her heart was squeezed by someone.
“Ventricular fibrillation! Doctor Ling?” Nurse Niu increased the volume of her voice before she looked at Ling Ran. She had also never seen Ling Ran show any related abilities in the field of emergency medicine. Therefore, when she made her voice louder at the moment, she wanted to give a reminder to the other doctors to come over and help.
Ling Ran did not pay attention to Nurse Niu. He first looked at the ECG monitor to confirm what was on the electrocardiogram himself. At the same time, he listened to the sounds of the heart before he gave an instruction by saying, “Asynchronous ventilation, defibrillation. 150 Joules.”
Nurse Niu let out a secret sigh of relief. Then, she immediately passed the defibrillator she prepared beforehand to Ling Ran.
At the same time, another two nurses positioned the patient into the position for CPR. They applied electrode gel on the patient. Meanwhile, Nurse Niu turned around and selected unsynchronized cardioversion on the defibrillator.
Everybody did their jobs methodically during the entire process.
When Tian Qi looked at them, while she felt that their working speed was not fast, she still found that they were quick enough that she was dazzled. They were just as quick as the workers in-charge of changing tires and refilling petrol in an F1 World Championship.
“Charging completed.”
“Move aside.”
Ling Ran held two big electrodes with both hands, and he pressed against them lightly to ensure that it was perfectly pressed against the skin. At the same time, he used his thumbs to switch on the discharge button.
The patient trembled once soundlessly.
Ling Ran turned around and looked at the ECG monitor before he immediately said, “Chest compressions.”
At the same time, Ling Ran moved himself to the patient’s head and shouted, “Tracheotomy pack!”
Within a few seconds, Ling Ran set up the tracheal intubation with his fastest speed and connected the tube with a simple artificial respirator. Later, Ling Ran took over the nurse performing the chest compressions, and he counted while he steadily and swiftly performed the chest compressions.
Nurse Niu kept up with Ling Ran’s rhythm immediately and provided breathing support to the patient.
CPR in the emergency room was basically a two-rescuer CPR.
This was not just because CPR required chest compressions and artificial respiration at the same time in order to increase the patient’s survival rate, but also because CPR was extremely exhausting. The rescuer had to make sure that chest compressions had to reach a rate of 100 chest compressions per minute before it could bring about a better impact. Hence, two rescuers were usually required to take turns in order to carry out CPR.
However, Ling Ran did not intend to have anyone take over his position just yet.
The essence of CPR was a weakened version of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, which was also known as artificial extracorporeal circulation. Chest compressions enabled the heart to pump blood continuously, while artificial respiration allowed the continuous supply of oxygen to be maintained. In this way, the process of the heart stopping and thereby causing all organs as well as the brain to stop working and die transformed into the process of the heart stopping, but all organs and the brain still managed to work somewhat. The only thing they needed to do was to see whether they could last until the heart started beating again.
Blood and oxygen were essential to human organs and the brain. Theoretically, CPR could provide 30% of the normal supply required. If cells were described as an army, when military logistics support continuously only provided 30% of what was required of the army, the army might lose their combat ability, but they would not completely collapse.
A high-quality CPR could maintain military logistics support under the worst circumstances.
At this time, the strength and frequency of chest compressions as well as the level of artificial respiration played a crucial role.
30% was an extremely low limit. If it was reduced to 25%, 20%, or even 15%, while the difference might not be obvious on the surface, but in truth, it might not be enough to sustain the patient’s life anymore.
Ling Ran kneeled on the hospital bed, and all he wanted to do was to perform the CPR as perfectly as he could.
Just like how Nurse Niu who was not familiar with Ling Ran, Ling Ran also did not actually know the nurses and doctors who performed resuscitations in the emergency room very well.
Therefore, he preferred to do the CPR himself.
After all, the difficulty level of performing a high-quality CPR could be seen from how much different journals and international meetings praised prolonged CPRs.
Prolonged CPRs meant a powerful team that conducted high-quality CPR for a very long time. They would also need incredible luck before they could be successful.
Among the research papers that Ling Ran read, a certain hospital came to a conclusion that among one hundred and ninety cases of CPR with a resuscitation period longer than thirty minutes, only seventeen cases had autonomous circulation recovered. Among these seventeen cases, only three cases managed to survive and were discharged. Besides, among these three cases, two cases remained in a vegetative state, and the remaining case was fully recovered.
Nevertheless, it was still encouraging for doctors that even one case was successful at all. After all, it was a person who had been pulled back from hell.
“Defibrillation.”
Ling Ran jumped down from the bed and took the defibrillator again.
After completing the steps of defibrillation again, Ling Ran continued to perform chest compressions.
Ling Ran stopped every thirty counts so that Nurse Niu could perform two artificial respirations using a simple ventilator.
The ability of Perfect Level CPR could almost ensure the accuracy of every chest compression. Even so, Ling Ran was still unable to guarantee whether the patient could wake up.
Perfect Level CPR did not mean guaranteed revival at Perfect Level.
Ling Ran could only keep calm. He counted while he tried his best to come up with different plans and possibilities.
The only people who were free would be the patient and Tian Qi inside the curtain.
It was the first time Tian Qi witnessed such a scenario.
She was slightly surprised, particularly with Ling Ran’s focus, tension, calm, and composure.
In Tian Qi’s impression, an uncle of hers who was famous in the copper futures market could also stay focused, tense, calm, and composed like this at the most important times. His third wife also fell for him because of this. Even if her uncle earned more money in the future, she never left him.
However, her uncle who was famous in the copper futures market did not have looks that matched his identity. Even if he had a successful career, was a success in life, had dreams, and was victorious, he only had average looks.
Ling Ran…
Tian Qi looked at Ling Ran, and she could not help but be fascinated by his looks.
“Heart rate recovered.”
After some time, Nurse Niu’s loud voice pulled Tian Qi back from her imagination.
There were now more people around the hospital bed. Doctors from the Cardiology Department also gathered around the hospital bed, and they started considering to transfer the patient to receive interventional cardiology.
The old lady’s son and daughter were also called over to talk to the doctors at the place near to the curtain.
Tian Qi heard professional jargons such as acute myocardial infarction and acute anterior myocardial infarction. At the same time, she could hear the exclamation of surprise from the old lady’s son and daughter.
Fortunately, the exclamation of surprise soon turned into heavy breathing by those who just survived a disaster.
“Since she was rescued in time, the patient’s condition is better now. Her autonomous regulation of cardiac rhythm has recovered, her blood pressure and blood oxygen saturation rate are also getting better. Subsequently, we suggest receiving interventional cardiology so that the patient can receive revascularization for the blocked blood vessels…”
The doctor outside the curtain introduced the situation in a clear voice. There was a comforting tone in his soft voice.
As Tian Qi listened, her attention returned to Ling Ran.
Ling Ran who had just completed CPR felt that his arms were exhausted, and his legs were weak, but against her expectations, his smile was extremely broad.
Tian Qi looked at Ling Ran’s face, smiled, and said, “Doctor Ling, you’re so great!”
“Hmm, this time…” Ling Ran turned over and looked at the fluctuations shown on the ECG monitor. He smiled and said, “The feeling of saving a life seems to be better.”