An ambulance with a patient's heart Do not be too tight

Seoul - Ambulance usually full speed in order to quickly arrive at the hospital and could save lives of patients. But an ambulance carrying a heart patient should reduce the speed, because high speeds it dangerous for the patient.

This was conveyed by the doctors in Korea. Ambulance carrying heart patient who received lung or Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation Resuscitation (CPR), which is a medical emergency procedures are intended for a heart attack, should reduce the speed.

Using a computer model called Resusci Anne, the researchers monitor the performance of emergency medical technicians, lighting, sound and speed of ambulance sirens.

It was found that there was an increase in depth and emphasis on chest. But what makes researchers more worried is the emergency medical technicians are less likely to use CPR when the ambulance drove at full speed, and this would be dangerous for heart attack patients.

Reasons for emergency medical technicians hands-off is not clear. But so far there is no blood that is pumped into the body at the time the patient suffered a heart attack and transported by ambulance, so the brain and other vital organs 'starved' of oxygen.

"At the speed of 60 kilometers per hour or faster, then no additional blood flow within a few seconds, compared with the speed of 30 kilometers per hour, or slower again," said Dr. Chung Tae Nyoung, an emergency physician at the Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea, who led the study, as quoted from Reuters, Tuesday (18/05/2010).

Dr Chung also said that he gave was when the ambulance drove on a straight road without lights or impeded traffic.

But, in fact, sharp turns, bumpy roads and traffic congestion will probably increase the effect on patients.

Based on the findings published in the journal Resuscitation, maybe there are speed limits of 30 km per hour and 60 km per hour, which does not raise his hand off the portion of emergency medical technicians while maintaining the speed of the ambulance.

Rate this velocity can be recommended as a transportation speed limit for ambulances with ongoing CPR.

But Dr. Dana Edelson, Chairman of the Association CPR Committee at the University of Chicago, gave a warning before the ambulance started to reduce speed. According to him, CPR is still important for survival, and he noted that the effects found in this study 'very small'.

"The disadvantage of slowing down an ambulance is needed more time to get to the hospital. We must find other ways to improve the quality of CPR," added Dr. Edelson.

One way to enhance the quality recommended by the American Heart Association is so that emergency medical technicians can perform no matter where the patient requires resuscitation, including at the time had to run to the hospital patients in the high-speed ambulance.

Experts say it is common practice in Korea and the United States. For example, some patients having a heart attack during transportation, and others may not respond to CPR at the beginning.

"While some emergency services running at medium speed for an ambulance when an emergency medical technician doing chest presses, there is currently no formal guidelines," said Jerry Johnston, a paramedic and former president of National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians.

Johnston added a comprehensive recommendation now is that people who drive an ambulance must be really conscious effort to make the journey smoother for quality CPR can be performed by emergency medical technicians.