An Interesting Perspective On Isaan’S Version Of C P R

[bdenner]

3 hours ago we had a very localised Thunder Storm go through, lasted about 30 minutes. Not a big deal about 8 mm of rain and moderate winds,

TW has just told me a 35yo man was struck by lightning less than 2 km where we live, he was in a rice paddy tilling the soil with a Kubota rotovator and is dead!

I asked her if someone attempted CPR she said yes, they took off his shirt and covered him in ‘Lao Kow’ and continued to explain the drink makes the body cool down very quickly and causes a breath. I can understand the cooling effect of quickly evaporating alcohol and know when jumping into cold water one does so – but dead??

I explained the heart massage, mouth to mouth re breathing and her immediate response was horror. We have been married near on 12 years and NEVER kissed each other on the lips -- well not tong kissed, not in their natural culture and I don’t care for it anyway.

The bottom line is this poor sole didn’t have a chance! Where is the basic education system? RIP.

[LucidLucifer]

To be fair, CPR rarely ever works, and is only a stop-gap measure until paramedics arrive with a defibrillator. Better than nothing, but it's not very effective.

Did paramedics even get there, or was the poor soul chucked in the back of a pick-up and carted off to the hospital that way?

Do ambulances here even carry defibrillators? I'd hope so, but wouldn't bet on it.

[Jezz]

In reality 'less than 2 kilometres' can be more like 200 kilometres for a vehicle to reach in the sprawling farmland of Issan with it's twisting, unsigned, potholed dirt roads, For an ambulance with time as the essence ... well, it doesn't take much working out.

[jamescollister]

To be fair, CPR rarely ever works, and is only a stop-gap measure until paramedics arrive with a defibrillator. Better than nothing, but it's not very effective.

Did paramedics even get there, or was the poor soul chucked in the back of a pick-up and carted off to the hospital that way?

Do ambulances here even carry defibrillators? I'd hope so, but wouldn't bet on it.

Very true CPR is not as good as it's made out to be. Had to do it more then a few times, nature of employment. Fairly safe to say no para medics no result. No defib or real ambos out my way, just some clown who drives an ambulance. Jim

[Jezz]

Even just 50 metres off a main road, my F.I.L. was taken to hospital in the back of a pickup after suffering a badly broken leg and minor head injuries following a motorbike accident. He had arrived at the hospital long before the ambulance from a local ambulance station arrived.

[Thighlander]

I understand that they are encouraging just compressions at a rate of 100 per minute.

[zzaa09]

Not so much an interesting perspective, but an unecessarily judgemental and superlative perspective.

[isanbirder]

Not so much an interesting perspective, but an unecessarily judgemental and superlative perspective.

Superlative, zzaa???? As in positive, comparative, superlative?

[harrry]

Cpr is a holding measure...something to keep someone who has really died in a state where with skilled prompt medical care he or she can still be helped. In Australian cities it is generally needed for 12 minutes as an ambulance with well trained paramedics can arrive. In Thailand the delay is much longer, the person may wait for aqn hour or more till skilled care is available. In general the longer on cpr the less chance of recovery so on these grounds alone CPR is probably not of benefit in Thailand.

Edited June 12, 2012 by harrry

[citizen33]

Sadly posters are right to say that the odds aren't as good as members of the public usually assume. Here is an interesting study on the subject, albeit based on research in the USA.

http://muse.jhu.edu/login?auth=0&type=summary&url=/journals/journal_of_health_politics_policy_and_law/v026/26.2zussman.html

[nev]

While on the farm today i mentioned this to my girlfriend, she said yes very true and in her home town of nakhon nayok 3 farmers was sheltering under a tree that was hit by lightening and all 3 was almost dead from the strike so they used lao kao on them and all 3 survived.

[mikhill]

have been married to an Isaan girl for 25 years and lived in Roi Et for the last 10. I know my wifes family home was hit by lightening when she was a young child and her brother died and her sister has a burn mark across the chest. Just asked her about the lao kao and she confirms it . Her brother and 2 sisters were doused with it and her sisters survived. Dont think this was the current 40 degree whisky but more likely home brew.

[jamescollister]

Some strange customs at times, SILs kid was choking on some food. She blows on the kids forehead, poor kid would probably choked if I had not stepped in.

Did month to mouth on the dog once, he had jumped out of the pick up while tied to the back. Family looked on in amazement when the dog started to breathe again. Then a few months ago the SILs little dog got run over and she brought it to me so I could bring it back to life. Sorry just a bit out of my league. Jim

[harrry]

An australian would never waste good liquor like that. It could work for electrocution though...A sudden shock contracting the muscles and firing electric impulses through the nerves.

[thunder30101]

CPR is def a lifesaver but only if more advanced treatment is available quickly (in thailand forget about it). Chest compressions if done correctly keep the blood moving through the body while providing oxygen thru mouth to mouth resuscitation provides oxygen to the blood preventing the breakdown of your blood chemistry (which causes death not the heart stopping pumping) until meds or a defib can be used to restart the heart. There are also many degrees of heart failure where CPR is used without anything else until they get to the hospital for proper treatment The lao khao story is just bs those people werent dead to begin with maybe unconscious from the sudden electrical strike but not dead. Show me one thai hillbilly who can even take someones pulse to determine death. The sad thing is many of those people prob could have lived if they had anyone with CPR training to keep them stable until help arrived.

[kimamey]

Not so much an interesting perspective, but an unecessarily judgemental and superlative perspective.

Judgemental ? Well yes but then isn't that what you're doing? Of course it could be just an opinion so as this is a forum you're both doing it right I suppose.

I know we choose to live here but if we ever found ourselves or those close to us needing urgent professional medical treatment I wonder if that would be any comfort?

[cockneyrebel]

Thighlander 30 compressions to two breaths now days in order to keep the oxygen flowing

[KunMatt]

Some strange customs at times, SILs kid was choking on some food. She blows on the kids forehead, poor kid would probably choked if I had not stepped in.

I was about to post this too!!! At first when my son was just coughing and they blew a puff of hot air onto his head it was a bit quirky to me, but there have been a couple of more serious incidents when our son was actually choking on food and they still just leave him in the reclined position and blow on his head.

Any medics care to share why this magic puff of air would do any good at all? I assume it's meant to relax the child before they choke to death!

[diggledunc]

I understand that they are encouraging just compressions at a rate of 100 per minute.

In UK there is an advert on TV and they recommend the CPR to the rhythm of Staying Alive by the Bee Gees. Quite apt really I thought.

[KunMatt]

Thighlander 30 compressions to two breaths now days in order to keep the oxygen flowing

Not on my last CPR course it wasn't. It also depends where you are being taught.

The last time I did it a few months ago they were teaching to do just 100 chest compressions per minute and no breaths of air.

[kwonitoy]

Some strange customs at times, SILs kid was choking on some food. She blows on the kids forehead, poor kid would probably choked if I had not stepped in.

I was about to post this too!!! At first when my son was just coughing and they blew a puff of hot air onto his head it was a bit quirky to me, but there have been a couple of more serious incidents when our son was actually choking on food and they still just leave him in the reclined position and blow on his head.

Any medics care to share why this magic puff of air would do any good at all? I assume it's meant to relax the child before they choke to death!

It's supposed to drive away the "evil" spirts that are causing the choking, according to the wife anyway.

It drives me crazy, we have an 11 month boy and when he starts gagging on something she blows on his forehead,

The only saving grace in all this is that she has to lift him UP to blow on his forehead and then he stops gagging. She says this proves it works, I point out that lifting him UP is what does it.

She thinks I don't know anything about babies and I think the same about her. (first child for both of us)

About par for the course on most conversations around our house.

[Feeld]

I understand that they are encouraging just compressions at a rate of 100 per minute.

The latest I've read on this suggests that CPR is only really useful for maintaining blood supply to the brain and does very little to help the heart re-engage, effective therapy in that respect is down to pounding on the patients chest.