Question

A 60-year-old man is found sitting in his car alongside the road. There is no apparent damage to his vehicle. Your assessment reveals that the man is in cardiac arrest. You should:

A. grasp the patient by his arms and rapidly drag him from the vehicle while protecting his head and neck as much as possible.
B. recline the seat completely back, get inside the car, and begin CPR until additional help arrives at the scene.
C. grasp the patient under his arms, cradle his head between your arms, and remove him from the vehicle.
D. begin CPR while the patient is still in his car and remove him from the car when additional help arrives.

Answer 1

In a case of cardiac arrest for an individual in a car, carefully remove the person to a flat surface and perform CPR with proper technique and hand placement, continuing until help arrives or the patient recovers.

Step-by-step explanation:

If you come across a 60-year-old man in cardiac arrest sitting in his car with no apparent damage to the vehicle, the correct course of action is to begin CPR immediately. However, CPR in the cramped quarters of a car seat is not effective, as it requires a hard, flat surface. Therefore, the correct approach would be to carefully remove the individual from the car to perform CPR. This can be done by grasping the patient under his arms, cradling his head between your arms, and removing him from the vehicle. Then, begin CPR with high-quality chest compressions on a solid, flat surface. Aim for compressions that are at least 5 cm deep at a rate of 100 compressions per minute, which is critical for maintaining blood circulation, particularly to the brain to prevent irreversible damage.

Always ensure proper technique during CPR to prevent further injury to the patient, such as broken ribs or a broken sternum. Proper positioning of the hands on the sternum is essential. CPR should be continued until professional help arrives or the patient regains spontaneous contraction.