Question

You and the team delivered one shock to the patient, then performed about 2 minutes of CPR. You have been performing compressions and are starting to fatigue. What should you do?

Answer 1

When performing CPR and feeling fatigued, a rescuer should switch with another trained individual to maintain effective chest compressions. It's essential for the continuity and quality of care until professional medical intervention or the patient's condition changes.

Step-by-step explanation:

If you are starting to fatigue while performing CPR compressions, it is vital to switch with another trained rescuer without delay. Continuous, high-quality chest compressions are critical to maintaining blood flow to the brain and other vital organs. Rescuer fatigue can lead to ineffective chest compressions, so the transition should be swift and seamless to minimize the interruption in chest compressions.

CPR involves applying pressure to the sternum between the vertebrae T4 and T9 to manually compress the heart. Proper technique requires compressing the chest at least 5 cm deep at a rate of 100 compressions per minute.

These high-quality chest compressions are paramount until the patient regains spontaneous contraction or is declared dead by a healthcare professional. In a situation where you feel fatigued, ideally, you should rotate with another rescuer every 2 minutes to maintain the quality and effectiveness of the compressions.