What was it like your first time? Doing CPR, that is.

[KC2OBW 1]

So what was it like or going through your head when you had to do CPR for the first time? I did it for the first time at work yesterday, I mean it felt good to help save some one, but watching the medics work on the PT I kinda felt a little sad too..the person did make it btw.

[medic25 0]

Nice; it's not to often they make it on your first time! If I remember correctly, my first was in a snow-covered driveway in Geneseo, NY. Also the first time I used an AED; unfortunately he did not make it. I don't remember how I felt afterwards; too many years I'm afraid!

[IzzyEng4 427]

Like I was doing jumping jacks for 5 minutes straight....................

It was a save.

[Ex-2114 7]

It's a rush... an incredible rush. You're going through every snigle thing you learned - step by step. You're counting compressions out loud... getting the defib pads in place.... bagging (or breathing through a mask) praying the person doesn't puke.... hearing things crack on each compression (mostly on older patients)....

Then after the medics get there and the patient is on the bus.... your hands are shaking, sweat is dripping from your forehead.... maybe you need to hit the bathroom quick because a code always comes in right after you realize that you need to go to the bathroom.....

And this isn't after only the first CPR call... it's after pretty much all of them....

Let your training be your guide....

If the patient survives - congratulations. If the patient doesn't survive, remember that you too are human - don't beat yourself up.

And PRAY that you never have the need to perform CPR on an infant. Been there, done that - still have the memories.

Congratulations on your first save.

[markmets415 524]

Well from an older member of the crowd here, back in the day there were no medics, defibs or anything other than the old pump and run method. I have helped and done CPR several times with only one positive outcome, yes there were some saves but the victim passed later. The last CPR call I was at was last July 4th with negative results, down to long. The older you get the harder it is physically on you as well, as Izzy said it is like doing jump n jacks, the July call for me it seemed like I was doing them for 30 minutes, of course it was outside and hot and humid. Also as Ex-2114 stated they all have been the same for me too, just remember your training.

I did hear the call at the Galleria, excellent job, first one and a save, great work!!!!!

[JBE 328]

Summer of 1996, about 545-6 in the morning. Up off of North Terry Hill. I knew the patient. He was one of the local cabbies. Big guy, too. We walked in, he was sitting on the chair, red and gasping. I barely got the words, "What seems to be the problem, sir??" out of my mouth, and out he went. Couldn't get the oral airway in so we went for the naso airway. Shocked him three times, and no, he didn't launch into the air like you see on TV. It took 8 of us, 3 or 4 on the ambulance, two cops and a couple of guys who came up on 17-6-1 to get him into the back of the bus. The medic met us at the scene, and off we went for Putnam. I had switched to bagging the poor fellow when the medic tells us he can't hit a vein in the guys' arms. He says to me, "Jimmy, whatever you do, don't move your arms." The medic runs the needle between my arms and hits the guy in the neck for the jugular vein IV. My eyes went wide, I had never seen something like that before, and I have to admit, it was pretty cool to see. We worked him up the better part of 25 minutes. Unfortunately, he didn't make it. I didn't feel a rush of anything, moreso a feeling of desperation to get this guy help or get him back. It was just "Let's do it".

I have only done CPR on maybe 3 or 4 people in the short time I was an EMT up there. But, like the saying goes, you never forget your first. Sorry if this was too graphic.

Edited May 6, 2009 by JBE

[50-65 205]

First for me was when we used to run EMS calls. We got called for a possible heart attack. We show up with the rescue and walk up to the house with the bags. Go inside and there is our chief and pd doing CPR. It took a few seconds to sink in but then it was just going with the training. The medics showed up shortly after. We were able to get him back long enough to get him in the bus. Coded a couple of times enroute the the hospital. So my first time, I also rode along in the ambulance. He "lived" about another 3 days on a vent.

After the n-th time, it's like, ok, is dinner still warm?

Congrats on the save. Haven't had one of those yet.

[hudson144 150]

I'll never forget her, it was a nice day and: ooops sorry didn't read the whole post! lol

[Bnechis 3,961]

I'll never forget her, it was a nice day and: ooops sorry didn't read the whole post! lol

That's why they changed the title....lol

Also EMTbravo was getting hits as a p*** sight.....sorry seth

[markmets415 524]

That's why they changed the title....lol

Also EMTbravo was getting hits as a p*** sight.....sorry seth

Funny Captain, I was thinking the same thing, good stuff.

[Tapout 42]

Wow- stressful blast from the past! The 1st time was a frail little old lady brought into my ED with crushing CP and a pulse but not looking good. We and EMS pulled her over (all 90 lbs of her) to the stretcher and out she went. I started the compressions and almost immediately heard the most horrible sound- a dull pop. Kept compressing, though... and heard another louder, higher-pitched pop from the other side of her ribcage. A few more pops popped over the course of the 20minute code. She didn't make it and everyone explained to me it wasn't ME who killed her with over-zealous rib-cracking compressions, but still to this day, my gut ties up in knots thinking otherwise.

Literally hundreds of codes later, I still get that same guilty zing in my stomach when I hear that pop...

Congrats on the save, BTW. You'll have lots of those and lots you don't save. Regardless of the outcome, though, be proud of yourself for even trying.

Edited May 6, 2009 by Tapout

[TCD0415 26]

"My First" was at a FD picnic one summer a long time ago. While we were at the town park, someone started yelling from the Tennis Court that someone went down. Me and my buddy ran over and gave the guy CPR till the medics got there. The guy did vomit all over (I believe he had recently been drinking Red Gatoraid or something, nice picture huh?) Lucky for me I was doing the Pushy Pushy thing and didnt get hit. The guy actually did survive too...... We got some award for it later that year. Totally correct where the training kicks in and it is not till afterwards that you decompress and get a little shaky, while at the same time having a great feeling of accomplishment that you were trained and hopefully able to make a difference and help save a life. That experience is what made me take my EMT and get involved in the EMS side of the house.

[x129K 1,393]

I remember when Garth Brooks did his free show in Central park, we were running back to back cardiac arrests, both 3 stroy walkups, both in the "Tree Streets" with Engine 306.......one lived......the other; not so much....

I can not even remember the first time.

[Guest]

I Havent done it yet

[RNMedic08 0]

Congrats on the save !!!!

Well my first CPR was actually at work. Patient had just been admitted to the Medical Unit from the ER.....in the process of transferring him out of the wheelchair and into the bed he took that ohh so horrible last gasp and then proceeded to collapse in the Er nurse's arms.....we quickly got him on the bed called a code got the crash cart and board under him, unfortunately I was at his left side so I began chest compressions and heard that POPPING sound.....anyway we started bagging him till the rest of the code team got there and I think because he was in our arms and CPR was started so quickly he survived...he was transferred to the ICU and said I don't remember anything but some Blonde RN pounding on my chest and she broke my rib.......The MD responded at least your here to complain about the broken rib she did her job..........

So now as an RN I must have had some huge brain fart and became an EMT-B, I am with my steady s**t magnet partner in Beekman and we had just picked up dinner ( he had chicken francese and I for some unknown reason chose Linguine with white clam sauce) and the Cheif of Beekman is in the station talking to us when we get a call 34-79 respond for a diabetic emergency...so off we go with the Cheif leading the way. We just hit Rte.55 and County updates CPR in progress...we look at each and say WTF???? We get on scene and guess what no one was doing CPR! So now here we are....I start compressions and the Cheif is bagging as my Medic attempts to intubate.....very difficult intubation and then suddenly pure red blood starts pouring out of his mouth....well it's about this time I turn 5 shades of white and almost puke....... we worked him all the way in from Beekman, dumped a whole lot of meds in him and in the Er they worked him another 20 minutes........

So now it's 2/14/09 and I am a paramedic and I get hit with a City 911 call for uncon/unresp get on scene and there is PFD working the guy, AED advises no shock continue CPR, the have an excellent BLS airway going and I'm thinking when the hell is the Medic going to get here! Oh crap I AM the Medic.....your right you just go into the zone and do what you are trained to do! I have to honestly say things would not have gone as smoothly if not for the efforts of Engine 2 who truly stepped up to the plate and backed this medic up......thank you seemed so inadequate so I formally drafted a letter and sent it to their Chief for recognition of a great job....

In my dual roles I have found that no matter how many times you are involved in a code you do what you are trained to do and then afterwards the adrenalin rush takes over as you shake and sweat.......but know this...as long as you do the best you can that is what counts sometimes we succeed but many times we don't and it is all in the hands of a greater being.

[grumpyff 1,159]

Congrats on the save. My first time I don't remember all of the details, but I was riding as a trainee. GAW6 was most likely the EMT. All in all I think I am 0 for 23 for CPR. Never really bothered me actually doing the CPR, but I never did get used to the feeling of ribs breaking underneath my hands on the older patients. The younger ones were a bit harder to deal with, but over time I learned to deal with better.

Edited May 6, 2009 by grumpyff

[GAW6 66]

"GAW6 was most likely the EMT. "

I probably was...... I think my first one was on the SMP at Grant Street, guy pulled over in his car, had just eaten breakfast - looked like he had eggs! I was only a CFR at the time so it was probably 20+ years ago.

I, like many of you have stated previously, have never had a CPR save in 21-years, whether it was with Medics, or in the days without them. Some people have called me the "Angel of Death" because of my track record with arrests.

My heartfelt congrats to those of you who have had saves - it must be one of the best feelings in the world!

[efd1674 5]

Between 1977 -1985 Riding Eastchester Vac. Performed CPR about 100 times. We saved the same guy twice, about a year apart.

[Union241 3]

My first time was a teenager who had intentionally overdosed in a suicide attempt. By the time that his father found him it was an obvious death, but the medic with me made the call that we would work him just to give assurances to the family that we did try to bring him back. Don't remember what exactly the kid took, but he washed it down with Peptol Bismol so there was pink vomit all over him. I (thankfully) haven't had to do it too many times (6, to be exact) but I do have one save from it. There isn't a better feeling in the world than having the patient walk into the station and thank you.

[Guest alsfirefighter]

Don't know why I remember the first one funny enough as I couldn't actually tell you which was the last one I did. But it was 94' or 95' was a Firefighter with only CPR and we responded to back up a medic unit in my county outside Fredericksburg, VA. Heavyset guy experienced sudden cardiac arrest at a public function at a hall. I remember just being focused as there was so many people there watching, large amounts of vomit pouring out of his mouth due to the bystander CPR that was done prior to EMS and our arrival and that one of his ribs broke during the compressions. My second arrest actually is what got me interested in becoming a medic as again we backed up a medic unit (2 person crews) and it was afternoon and again heavyset male in his mid 40's. That one was different because the pictures of the kids on the walls and his wife hysterical. Over time it gets easier, in some ways some probably can find it disturbing the disconnect that experienced providers in all medical fields achieve.

[helicopper 1,050]

Wow, first time? I can't remember that far back. A memory is a terrible thing to... What was I saying?

Seriously, I can remember several memorable codes (successful and un) but don't remember the first.

[KC2OBW 1]

I didn't hear anything crack, but I didn't do compressions, there was a CNA from a nursing home that helped out I thought I would of hesitated at first, but as soon as the first aid kit with the pocket mask showed up, I went right at it, had a problem with her neck hyper extending so I had some one old her head up a little. She kept going in and out of it, then the AED arrived and the my co-worker delivered two shocks, for some reason it didn't feel like a eternity went by every thing seem to go quick, New Hamburgh and Mobile life had very quick response times...Oh and Chief Moore sorry if I blew your ear off over the radio, I must of yelled CPR in progress like three times over the radio when he called and asked for a update.

Edited May 6, 2009 by KC2OBW

[FDNYDCHI 38]

"Picture it" 1995....

My 1st CPR was actually on my first Ambulance call ever whenI was with Irvington VAC in high school I was 17 years old. I was an old lady that I did it on. I was 0-4 lifetime CPR average. The Doctor in Dobbs ferry ER said I had very good CPR Skills.

It was very strange and I felt bad because it was the 1st time I saw someone die. Like another member posted the "disconnect" you get and your training kicks in and you go to work.

Edited May 6, 2009 by FDNYDCHI

[Tapout 42]

"Picture it" 1995....

My 1st CPR was actually on my first Ambulance call ever whenI was with Irvington VAC in high school I was 17 years old. I was an old lady that I did it on. I was 0-4 lifetime CPR average. The Doctor in Dobbs ferry ER said I had very good CPR Skills.

It was very strange and I felt bad because it was the 1st time I saw someone die. Like another member posted the "disconnect" you get and your training kicks in and you go to work.

This "disconnect" phenomenon is funny because it has served me well over 17yrs in this business... I've coded adults, kids (one 2 1/2 yr old 14 times in 10 hours- then he died), even babies. But the minute I hear and feel that @#@$#%#$ing <pop!>, that same damn guilty "Oh sh@#- I killed another one!" feeling washes over me. Even when the CPR ended up with a save (with me always the lucky dog compressing and crunching away on those ribs) I STILL felt guilty!

To this day, that pop sound is the glass of ice water in my face right in that moment of disconnecting and objectively doing what I have been trained to do. For those not rattled by that (and the thuddy feeling associated with it), I envy you.

[Guest stephentyler20]

Funny, I can't seem to remember clearly... I think it was a traumatic arrest from a head-on crash with extrication. Guy was alive in the front seat, and as soon as they pulled the engine off his lap be bottomed out and coded. That must have been it.

Also funny to think about when it used to be "Exciting" and a "rush" to be on a code, doing CPR... Seems kinda just like more work (and paperwork!) now... I've had my fair share of resuscitations though, and a few saves.

[Eng51ine 16]

i didnt do CPR on anyone but i was at the scene when CPR was in progress. i was riding out wit GPD medic and got a call for possible heart attack. on the way to the call, updated that CPR was in progress!! i got to suction the patient thats about it. but even at the scene where someone is dying is a adrenaline rush. pt overdosed on crack nd it was a save!!

[ny10570 745]

Like others have mentioned, popping cartilage and breaking ribs is the only thing that gets to me on arrests. That and arrests in a hto apartment. It just ruins the rest of the tour.

[RWC130 594]

My first time umm... Oh yeah CPR!

I was about 16-17 riding the ambulance as a junior member. We got dispatched to a unresponsive person.

While responding the PD (on scene) called in "CPR In Progress" at which time we were about a minute out.

Upon arrival we took over CPR from the PD, I was doing compressions. We hooked up the AED.

Laerdal Heart Start 3000. Yes, I did crack some ribs.

"Analyzing Rhythm"

"Stand Clear"

Hearing the funny sound it made while Charging......

"Press to Shock"

EMT at the AED yelling "CLEAR"

ZAP!!!!

I saw the patient jump a little, not like on TV but it was pretty interesting to see for the first time.

Noticed the big Defib spike on the EKG Monitor Screen then it went to this rhythm below:

________________________________________________________________________________

We continued CPR all the way to the ER with no ALS

Now is where this story gets interesting...........

We were so into trying to save this patient with CPR, AED, BVM, 02 Tank and hysterical family members the only thing

we were able to get as far as patient information was first name, last name, and address.

We assumed the patient was mid 70's

Upon arrival to the ER the staff continued CPR with ACLS for a good 15-20 minutes.

The girl from ER registration desk walks over to us and says "this patient is 105 years old"

The ER Doc says:

STOP CPR!

Time: 4:25 PM

And that my friends....

I will never forget.

He lived a good life!

The 2nd time that I did CPR was for a 7 year old Drowning.

The boy was pulled from the bottom of the Pool by Lifeguards. CPR started right away

and continued by EMS. Again only BLS.

While on the way to the ER the child was successfully resuscitated!

He became conscious and crying by the time we hit the ER doors.

I think that was the best cry that I ever heard.

My very first save!

[Remember585 815]

Not my first time, but the first one I recall actually doing CPR. It was either 1994 or 1995...

We responded to a call for an asthma attack. It was me, the driver and our famous "Charlie O." I was a CFR and either 16 or 17. We arrived on location, grabbed our stuff and went upstairs. We walked in and found an elderly woman down on the couch. She was in a room full of other old(er) people just sitting there, watching. We dragged her off the couch to the hardwood floor and began CPR. The key thing I remember of this call was how calm and unphased by what was going on the old(er) people were. There we are, going 200 MPH, working on this lady, and some of them were just sitting there sipping tea and watching...like it was dinner theater.

We still didn't have our current ALS system, so OVAC met us at Albany Post Road by the southbound Route 9 ramp. The medic jumped on and we took off to Phelps.

Two things that I can't help but think of, now that I have been riding EMS for almost 18 years...

1. None of us that have been around this long get sucked into the call to the point we're running on pure adrenaline like we used to.

2. Why am I still doing this?

One other thing I remember, when I first started riding, it seemed like we did a cardiac arrest at least once a week. I think the exposure to so many deceased over and over and over again early on in my life doing this made it easier for me to grasp the reality that we can't save everyone. All I hope for now is that my CPR instruction can help save a life or two, and luckily it did happen after the first class I did a couple of years ago. Ironically, I wasn't at this incident but I remember it better then some calls I have been to. One of our firefighters was at a BB King concert in Stamford, someone dropped, he did CPR, they lived. That was almost more rewarding then any saves I've been a part of.

[ex-commish 490]

I dont remember my first CPR call but the one that will haunt me forever was doing it on my own grandmother who on her 76th birthday just finished blowing out her candles when she slumped back on her chair and went out. Despite my efforts as well as the ems crew ( Abbey Richmond at the time) she passed away. Anyone else ever have to try and revive a relative?