# So I guess I failed the CPR test. And it hurts. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 18, 2011, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-guess-i-failed-the-cpr-test-and-it-hurts/578876 "2011-04-18T20:53:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2011, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-guess-i-failed-the-cpr-test-and-it-hurts/578876/41 "2011-04-19T12:52:08Z")
Dude, you _passed_ that test. You jumped in and responded to the emergency. You kept your head. You dealt with problems as they came up. You didn’t stop, didn’t give up, you _kept trying_. You gave that man one last chance at life. It’s not your fault that, whatever was wrong with him, it was too much to allow him to come back. If you need to talk to someone take the suggestion upthread to call the department - or any EMS department - and explain the situation. I’m sure they’ll be able to refer you to someone to help you deal with the aftermath in yourself. ---
**Author:** ![The\_wind\_of\_my\_soul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecc23a/32.png) [@The\_wind\_of\_my\_soul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_wind_of_my_soul)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2011, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-guess-i-failed-the-cpr-test-and-it-hurts/578876/42 "2011-04-19T12:54:17Z")
Wow, I hope if I’m ever in an emergency situation I can have the presence of mind to do what you did. ---
**Author:** ![Ellen\_Cherry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellen_cherry/32/3600_2.png) [@Ellen\_Cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellen_Cherry)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2011, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-guess-i-failed-the-cpr-test-and-it-hurts/578876/43 "2011-04-19T13:05:42Z")
Supe, God bless you, you tried. And he had someone with him as he died. You have my admiration. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2011, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-guess-i-failed-the-cpr-test-and-it-hurts/578876/44 "2011-04-19T13:08:45Z")
I’m CPR trained as well, and I agree with everyone else - you passed the test by showing up and trying. > [@spotthegerbil](#): > > P.S. My CPR trainer said that the best way to keep rythym when doing the compressions is to keep time to the song “Nellie the Elephant.” He also said it looks unprofessional if you sing it out loud… That only works if you know Nellie the Elephant. Other tunes include Stayin’ Alive (appropriately) or Another One Bites the Dust (ironically). 100 beats/minute is what you’re going for. Just to continue this hijack, the British Red Cross now teaches 30 compressions/2 rescue breaths, as the view is that there’s more oxygen in the system than previously thought and the important thing is to keep the blood circulating. I think the US Red Cross differs but that’s neither here nor there; it sounds like this particular guy was beyond the reach of modern medicine before you even arrived. ---
**Author:** ![VunderBob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/839c29/32.png) [@VunderBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VunderBob)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2011, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-guess-i-failed-the-cpr-test-and-it-hurts/578876/45 "2011-04-19T13:19:40Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > I’m CPR trained as well, and I agree with everyone else - you passed the test by showing up and trying. > That only works if you know Nellie the Elephant. Other tunes include Stayin’ Alive (appropriately) or Another One Bites the Dust (ironically). 100 beats/minute is what you’re going for. > > Just to continue this hijack, the British Red Cross now teaches 30 compressions/2 rescue breaths, as the view is that there’s more oxygen in the system than previously thought and the important thing is to keep the blood circulating. I think the US Red Cross differs but that’s neither here nor there; it sounds like this particular guy was beyond the reach of modern medicine before you even arrived. I learned “Another One Bites The Dust”, but wasn’t going to mention it. I also learned 30/2, but the American Heart Association (the people that do the medical provider certifications) now teach that you skip the breaths altogether. I still use 30/2, simply because I can keep count easier, and the pause gives me a modicum of rest. ETA: Certifications are good for 2 years; I just looked, and mine is expired by a month. Damn. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2011, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-guess-i-failed-the-cpr-test-and-it-hurts/578876/46 "2011-04-19T13:29:40Z")
You didn’t fail, you passed with flying colors. The dirty little secret is that if someone’s heart has stopped, CPR is generally not going to bring them back. It’s just a way to keep blood flowing through the brain until somebody can get there with the paddles. Even then the odds are low. You did everything right. Just having the presence of mind, willingness to response and memory of training is the test, not bringing the person back to life. It’s a very draining, traumatic and disheartening thing to go through, but it’s no failure on your part. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2011, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-guess-i-failed-the-cpr-test-and-it-hurts/578876/47 "2011-04-19T13:31:03Z")
I learned “That’s the Way (uh huh, uh huh) I like it.” ---
**Author:** ![OtakuLoki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ac8455/32.png) [@OtakuLoki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OtakuLoki)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2011, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-guess-i-failed-the-cpr-test-and-it-hurts/578876/48 "2011-04-19T13:52:41Z")
One more voice to the chorus - you did everything you should have and did it well. You didn’t fail anything, you passed your test with flying colors. I know this isn’t going to be enough to change your expectation that you should have been able to do better - but maybe we’ll start to give your some room to believe that your emotional reaction, while perfectly normal, is not healthy for you. Take care of yourself, and let me add my voice to the chorus agreeing that you should follow up on **VunderBob** ’s excellent suggestion. Just one more point: my mother had CPR done to her, and survived unimpaired. But it happened when she was already in the ER, and already being monitored. And even in that best possible case scenario only something like 20% of uses of CPR actually are successful. And AIUI that’s defining successful as, resulting in some kind of continuing heart beat to allow further treatment to continue. ---
**Author:** ![howye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9adbd/32.png) [@howye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/howye)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2011, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-guess-i-failed-the-cpr-test-and-it-hurts/578876/49 "2011-04-19T14:04:17Z")
You tried, that is all anybody could ask. He had a better shot with you trying than if nobody had been there. In the end, you reacted well in the crisis and that is more than most people would do. ---
**Author:** ![Snake\_Plissken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/41988e/32.png) [@Snake\_Plissken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snake_Plissken)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2011, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-guess-i-failed-the-cpr-test-and-it-hurts/578876/50 "2011-04-19T14:04:23Z")
Just wanted to chime in to say that I have been in your position a couple times. Both when I was working in restaurants. My first time the woman was fairly young for a heart attack and she luckily survived. When I got home I pretty much came unglued. I got the shakes real bad and couldnt control my emotions at all. Thankfully my wife is a nurse with experience in that area and was able to talk me down. I hope you had someone to talk to soon after. ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2011, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-guess-i-failed-the-cpr-test-and-it-hurts/578876/51 "2011-04-19T19:46:42Z")
> [@VunderBob](#): > > This isn’t the place to be an asshole. Nor is this–or any thread in this forum–the place to use that term on another poster. Given the circumstances, what with **Pedro** ’s remark that you were responding to, I’m not going to take any further action, but please keep the forum rules in mind. No warning issued. ---
**Author:** ![VunderBob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/839c29/32.png) [@VunderBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VunderBob)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2011, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-guess-i-failed-the-cpr-test-and-it-hurts/578876/52 "2011-04-19T19:55:56Z")
> [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](#): > > Nor is this–or any thread in this forum–the place to use that term on another poster. Given the circumstances, what with **Pedro** ’s remark that you were responding to, I’m not going to take any further action, but please keep the forum rules in mind. > > No warning issued. Understood. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Woo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7c8e57/32.png) [@Dr.Woo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Woo)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2011, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-guess-i-failed-the-cpr-test-and-it-hurts/578876/53 "2011-04-19T21:25:43Z")
I think the instructor who taught your CPR class would be incredibly impressed with your performance. You did everything right, and did it in the heat of the moment too. That man that you tried so very hard to help probably has a family, and I know that they would be incredibly grateful to hear that you worked so hard on their family member, and glad that his last moments were in the arms of a kind, caring person. ---
**Author:** ![Super\_Kapowzler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a698b9/32.png) [@Super\_Kapowzler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Super_Kapowzler)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2011, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-guess-i-failed-the-cpr-test-and-it-hurts/578876/54 "2011-04-19T23:23:26Z")
Update: Dear Peeps: Thanks. THANKS!!! Thank you f-ers for all your words. They ALL mean something. Thanks for being a sounding board. Thanks for being there. I met the family, and learned dude was in mid-30’s and his old man had died of a heartattack at age 41. Go figure. So then they talk about ignored warning signs, his health/weight, and mentioned him passing out “from sunstoke” last fall…which sounds a lot like ANGINA NOT RECOGNISED…(my humble medical opinion). (Its angina, not infarction that kills bits of the heart muscle, right?) Anyway, I met the family, I hugged two women. (either Mom&Grandmother or Sister/Mom,) a brother maybe and some others, and told them, without mentioning specifics, how and what I did, and cried with them. I was like, fuck dude, I wish I coulda done more, like Roy and Johnny rollin’ up in Squad 51, (not really those words, exactly), …and there we all were. Once again, SDMB, THANKS, someday yet, I shall be “Super” again. Live Long and Prosper, Bitches. And I mean that. Word. 'Powz. ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2011, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-guess-i-failed-the-cpr-test-and-it-hurts/578876/55 "2011-04-19T23:51:33Z")
I’m unfamiliar with the term 2/12, what does that mean? ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2011, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-guess-i-failed-the-cpr-test-and-it-hurts/578876/56 "2011-04-19T23:53:38Z")
> [@VunderBob](#): > > Understood. Acknowledgment appreciated. ---
**Author:** ![VunderBob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/839c29/32.png) [@VunderBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VunderBob)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2011, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-guess-i-failed-the-cpr-test-and-it-hurts/578876/57 "2011-04-19T23:53:50Z")
Angina is pain as a result of impeded blood flow. Infarction is a completely blocked artery. Infarction is the killer, angina is a symptom of it. Glad we could help. Shit. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2011, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-guess-i-failed-the-cpr-test-and-it-hurts/578876/58 "2011-04-20T00:33:02Z")
> [@YogSosoth](#): > > I’m unfamiliar with the term 2/12, what does that mean? 2 breaths to 12 compressions. Which isn’t the current recommendation, but it’s not terribly important. Current recommendations are, for health care professionals, 2 breaths to 30 compressions, and for laypeople, just compressions. Back when I first took CPR it was 2 to 15; I wouldn’t be surprised if it was 2 to 12 at some point. But the numbers aren’t too terribly important, as long as compressions are happening. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2011, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-guess-i-failed-the-cpr-test-and-it-hurts/578876/59 "2011-04-20T01:44:41Z")
Dead of a heart attack in his 30’s - wow. That is unexpected, except I guess it shouldn’t have been for them with his dad dead of one at 41. I’m sure you will, indeed, be Super again in no time. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![howye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9adbd/32.png) [@howye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/howye)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2011, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-guess-i-failed-the-cpr-test-and-it-hurts/578876/60 "2011-04-20T02:04:48Z")
Good to see you feeling better, time well take care of the rest. And shit. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-guess-i-failed-the-cpr-test-and-it-hurts/578876.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-guess-i-failed-the-cpr-test-and-it-hurts/578876.md?page=4)