complicastion of cpr

hellonurse36 · Mar 28, 2007

guys please i need your help to get all complication of cpr
thanks

What kind of complications are you looking for? Do you mean how can things go wrong? What are bad outcomes? Are you speaking about in hospital or in general public CPR?

-broken ribs/sternum are just about a given if CPR is done correctly.

-pt's heart beat returns but there is brain injury from decreased oxygen, anything from mild injury to complete brain death

-I suppose you could get some minor mouth diseases (ie herpes) from someone doing mouth to mouth on you without a protective shield....but if I was the person, I'd take the herpes over being dead.

- and of course - death.

The way I see it, if a pt is needing CPR they are already dead, so, any complications are worth the risk.

Terri Finney

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Mar 28, 2007

I work at a nursing home, and virtually all of my elderly patients are diagnosed with senile osteoporosis. Their ribs crack and break when we perform CPR on them.

Trauma Columnist · Mar 28, 2007

death?

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Mar 28, 2007

death?

I might be incorrect, so please feel free to correct me if I am found to be wrong.

However, if we have to perform CPR on a patient, isn't (s)he already clinically dead? Death cannot be a complication of CPR if the patient is already dead.

Trauma Columnist · Mar 28, 2007

Well, if they are dead, you don't do CPR - at least in my experience. If they are pronounced dead, then CPR is NOT done. However, when the pt "codes" ie from cardiac arrest, they are not technically dead.

snowfreeze, BSN, RN · Mar 28, 2007

complications of CPR for the patient can include:

cracked ribs, fractured sternum, pneumothorax, hemothroax, emesis, aspiration pneumonia, liver laceration, bruising, PLUS longer term: sepsis and death after recusitation.

antidote · Mar 28, 2007

What kind of complications are you looking for? Do you mean how can things go wrong? What are bad outcomes? Are you speaking about in hospital or in general public CPR?
-broken ribs/sternum are just about a given if CPR is done correctly.
-pt's heart beat returns but there is brain injury from decreased oxygen, anything from mild injury to complete brain death
-I suppose you could get some minor mouth diseases (ie herpes) from someone doing mouth to mouth on you without a protective shield....but if I was the person, I'd take the herpes over being dead.
- and of course - death.
The way I see it, if a pt is needing CPR they are already dead, so, any complications are worth the risk.
Terri Finney

I think that pretty much covers the possible risk factors that are possible in performing CPR on a patient.

I also agree with TheCommuter as far as when patients are 'dead' or what not. If a patient requires CPR, than he/she is clinically dead. If a person is pronounced dead by the MD prior to performing CPR then he/she is obviously... well dead! So as far as death being a risk factor, I don't entirely agree.

cardiac.cure03 · Apr 4, 2007

However, when the pt "codes" ie from cardiac arrest, they are not technically dead.

Wouldn't it be right to say this is true if the pt is in V.tach/V.Fib?

And then performing CPR on a pt in asystole, they're dead. At least that's kind of what I've always thought it to be like.

But now that this is brought up, it makes me go hmmmmm......

And THEN there's the whole issue of "brain death" to go along. Are they REALLY dead? Yet another.... HMMmmmmm...