a) Do you know CPR; b) can you tell me how to treat someone with an asthma emergency?

[Regular Guy]

We had a tragedy today, in the office I work in. We had a death happen here today.

First a person came through briskly, asking if anyone knew CPR. Less than 2 hours later, we were told that a fellow co-worker had just died. It was learned she had asthma, they tried to administer an inhaler for her (apparently a type where, ordinarily, the user needs to self administer it, breathing it in?). The inhaler effort was not successful.

I am planning on taking a CPR course. NIH has given me numbers to call to research this further, and on break, I'll do this. Google searches have not been terrifically fruitful. Anyone know, should this terrible thing happen again, how to help a person who is virtually unconscious, from having had an asthma attack, with or without inhaler in hand?

 

[pricescope]

RG, i am so sorry. Sweet belle will come to advise shortly.

 

[belle]

oh ira...this is awful. i am so very sorry.

unfortunately, there is not a whole lot you could have done short of calling 911. asthma is a disease wherein the airways get blocked due to inflammation and air can not enter. rescue meds (such as an inhaler) help to open the airways but they have to be sufficiently inhaled, so the person would have to be taking breaths to even get the medicine. for inhalers to work properly, you need to be able to take a deep breath so that the medication actually reaches the lungs. they are not real efficient. the very best thing you can do for someone with a breathing emergency is call 911 or get them to an emergency room if private transportation is quicker.

even though cpr alone would not have saved this woman, i believe everyone should know the basics. the american red cross regularly teaches classes and most chapters teach them at least weekly. it's a good idea to attend them every few years to refresh your knowledge too.

again i am so very sorry. my thoughts and prayers go out to everyone effected by this.

 

[AmberWaves]

Asthma is a very scary thing. I've had it since I was two, and have been hospitalized many times because of it. I have gotten to the point that my airwaves close up so much even an inhaler won't help me, my airwaves aren't open enough to let it in. One day, I forgot my inhaler at home, and was unable to get it during the day. My breathing also gets worse when I KNOW I have no rescue meds nearby. By the time I finally got home, I blacked out in the driveway because of lack of oxygen. This was two years ago. I came to, and struggled to get back in. We are an asthmatic family, and had the much needed adrenaline shot. I could have died because I forgot my inhaler.

Sometimes my breathing is so bad, I need to take a claritin to knock me out and give my lungs a chance to open, when I wake, I'm marginally better, but use my nebulizer. Now I'm on advair and haven't used an inhaler in two years. My fiance knows that the second I start to have an attack, get the inhaler and call my Dad. There was nothing you could have done other than what Belle said, don't feel bad. I am so sorry this happened.

 

[Kaleigh]

I know first hand how scary asthma can be. Years ago my son had a horrible asthma attck and his heart stopped. I had 911 on the phone while doing CPR and getting liquid steroids into him. I was able to revive him. I have no clue how I was able to do it, and hate even thinking about it. That was the scariest day of my life. The CPR and the steroids worked and I am grateful I was able to save him. The paramedics arrived and he was stable, and took him to the hospital. I am so sorry to hear about your co-worker.

 

[Regular Guy]

911 was called, though, as I understand it, moments after she was heard to have hit the floor. We are sorry the ambulence did not come sooner, and it''s possible, with the hospital close, we should have brought her there.

Date: 7/14/2006 4:10:50 PM
Author: AmberWaves
We are an asthmatic family, and had the much needed adrenaline shot. I could have died because I forgot my inhaler.

.

Perhaps it is too specialized...but would it make sense for non-medical personnel, like at an office, to a) have this sort of resource available, and for someone b) to be trained and prepared to use it? Perhaps if this were noted somewhere on the person who is in trouble? Are there any such notes on your person?

Thanks, all, for your sharing.

 

[galeteia]

Asthma IS scary. I only have the milder genetic form, but it''s frightening to be so sensitive to air quality. Recently I was in Toronto during a smog warning, and I was gasping for air because the quality was so bad.

I think one of the worse aspects of asthma is that by cutting off our air, the body panics so badly that it''s a downward spiral. I''ve got a heart condition that makes the walls of my heart and nearby chest area spasm, and the muscles will NOT allow my ribcage to expand during that time, so I can''t breathe. Sometimes I automatically panic, which tightens things even more and makes it worse. Not being about to breathe is one of the most primally terrifiying experiences a human can have, IMHO.

My sympathies go out to everyone effected by this tragedy.

 

[AmberWaves]

I actually DO have a medical alert bracelet stating that I am an ashtmatic. This is because too many times I've had to be rushed to the hospital, and it's easy to just black out.

As for the adrenaline shots, i don't know if that is something everyone has. Maybe it's like the people who are deathy allergic to bee stings, and carry an epinephrine shot. We have them at home because my dad is in the medical field (all of this is kosher, nothing stolen), and was able to get us things many other people had to go to the hospital for. But, like SDL said, I believe, most people who feel an attack coming on take the inhaler immediately. I can't tell you how many times I've had to let someone use MINE because they didn't have theirs. I have kept mine on me daily for about 16 years.

 

[belle]

Date: 7/14/2006 4:20:22 PM
Author: Regular Guy

Perhaps it is too specialized...but would it make sense for non-medical personnel, like at an office, to a) have this sort of resource available, and for someone b) to be trained and prepared to use it? Perhaps if this were noted somewhere on the person who is in trouble? Are there any such notes on your person?

Thanks, all, for your sharing.

it would be great if we could have basic life saving medications available at all times but it just isn''t possible. the liablility is too great. the best we can hope for is that those that are compromised know their condition well enough to manage it or at least have proper medication on hand that others can administer.

 

[jcrow]

oh my, how incredibly horrible! i am glad you brought this topic up, though, so that others can be aware. I had no idea asthma could be so horribly bad.

i know how shaken up you and the staff must be! i wish you strength for all of you during this difficult time.

 

[roppongi]

Ira....I am so sorry, so very, very sorry. My young son (3) suffers from asthma and it is scary. I can''t tell you how many times we have rushed him to the emergency room for a breathing treatment. It was so obvious with our insurance carrier that they sent over a home nebulizer and we always have liquid albuterol on hand.

People who suffer from asthma are usually prepared by carrying their own inhalers and alert braclets or necklaces. I carry one for my son.

God Bless You.