Why is no awakening to "rubbing on the sternum" a sign of an "opoid emergency?"

Factual Questions
1

See subject.

This from the home page of the makers of Narcan, an emergency inhalant drug to give people with “opoid emergencies”–overdoses–when one of the signs is stupor:
Use NARCAN® Nasal Spray right away if you or your caregiver think signs or symptoms of an opioid emergency are present, even if you are not sure, because an opioid emergency can cause severe injury or death. Signs and symptoms of an opioid emergency may include:
unusual sleepiness and you are not able to awaken the person with a loud voice or by rubbing firmly on the middle of their chest (sternum)

http://www.narcan.com

Do they mean compressing the diaphragm repeatedly? To force breathing? I still don’t get it.

2

Like this. You’re actually actually just trying to cause some pain to see if you can wake them. Try it on your self, push hard, and run your knuckles up and down your chest three or four times pretty fast (like a noogie). Doesn’t feel so good. Someone that’s totally knocked out isn’t going to respond. Someone that’s just really out of it might at least moan a bit and maybe try to swat your hand out of the way, especially if they weren’t expecting it.

3

I’ve seen EMTs use knuckle presses there and pinching at various spots to see if someone will wake up.

4

Thank you for the film/cite. (And Tripolar.)
I did try to give myself a noogie, but obviously wasn’t hard enough n myself–which is why I mistakenly thought it was some diaphragm thing.

5

Its looking for a response to a painful stimulus (which otherwise causes no harm).

6

Sternal rub is the jackpot search term.

7

I’ll note that when EMTs do this they use a great deal of caution and are prepared to jump back if the victim responds. They might do quite a bit more than just swat your hand away as Joey P indicated. I’m surprised they don’t just start with an air horn.

8

It’s not really a rub, it’s more of a mortar and pestle motion between the hard pointy knuckles and the very lean and unprotected sternum. It’s very painful and if it doesn’t wake someone up they’re either dead or very heavily sedated.

9

It’s what they taught us to do in my army first aid course. It’s supposed to replace the classic slap to the face, which can be very dangerous if the victim has a neck injury.

10

A friend of mine used to be a security guard at a downtown condo complex, and he said he was taught to rouse drunks sleeping in doorways by rubbing on their sternums with the end of his big Maglite flashlight.