Submitted by Dr T on November 9, 2010 – 9:12am
CPR is all about getting blood to the brain. The new guidelines for CPR that just came out support what you did. It is debatable whether this man’s brain did not get enough oxygen vs. the result from the injury he sustained, or even whether he is on life support because of his brain or his heart.
https://www.cardiachealth.org/ca-blog/how-do-i-perform-cpr/
The reality of CPR is that it is often ineffective because the victim is found “lifeless” and you don’t know how long they were like this before your arrival. Most people don’t want to get involved in accidents and only act as curious bystanders. If you are not trained in CPR but nonetheless took action, that is what you need to remember and you should be proud of it.
In my career as a heart surgeon I dealt with many emergencies, and afterwards I always reviewed (publicly and privately in my mind) what I could have done different or better. If you don’t, you don’t learn!