# Why is no awakening to "rubbing on the sternum" a sign of an "opoid emergency?" **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 11, 2016, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-no-awakening-to-rubbing-on-the-sternum-a-sign-of-an-opoid-emergency/765652 "2016-09-11T14:00:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2016, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-no-awakening-to-rubbing-on-the-sternum-a-sign-of-an-opoid-emergency/765652/1 "2016-09-11T14:00:06Z")
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](http://www.narcan.com) Do they mean compressing the diaphragm repeatedly? To force breathing? I still don’t get it. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2016, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-no-awakening-to-rubbing-on-the-sternum-a-sign-of-an-opoid-emergency/765652/2 "2016-09-11T14:14:18Z")
[Like this](https://vimeo.com/7976285). 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. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2016, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-no-awakening-to-rubbing-on-the-sternum-a-sign-of-an-opoid-emergency/765652/3 "2016-09-11T14:20:51Z")
I’ve seen EMTs use knuckle presses there and pinching at various spots to see if someone will wake up. ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2016, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-no-awakening-to-rubbing-on-the-sternum-a-sign-of-an-opoid-emergency/765652/4 "2016-09-11T14:42:36Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > [Like this](https://vimeo.com/7976285). 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. 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. ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2016, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-no-awakening-to-rubbing-on-the-sternum-a-sign-of-an-opoid-emergency/765652/5 "2016-09-11T15:31:10Z")
Its looking for a response to a painful stimulus (which otherwise causes no harm). ---
**Author:** ![outlierrn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/outlierrn/32/3005_2.png) [@outlierrn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/outlierrn)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2016, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-no-awakening-to-rubbing-on-the-sternum-a-sign-of-an-opoid-emergency/765652/6 "2016-09-11T21:18:59Z")
Sternal rub is the jackpot search term. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2016, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-no-awakening-to-rubbing-on-the-sternum-a-sign-of-an-opoid-emergency/765652/7 "2016-09-11T21:37:42Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Emtar\_KronJonDerSohn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/58956e/32.png) [@Emtar\_KronJonDerSohn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Emtar_KronJonDerSohn)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2016, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-no-awakening-to-rubbing-on-the-sternum-a-sign-of-an-opoid-emergency/765652/8 "2016-09-11T21:54:52Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2016, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-no-awakening-to-rubbing-on-the-sternum-a-sign-of-an-opoid-emergency/765652/9 "2016-09-11T22:00:59Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2016, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-no-awakening-to-rubbing-on-the-sternum-a-sign-of-an-opoid-emergency/765652/10 "2016-09-12T03:35:04Z")
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.