Sunjay Kapur, friend of Prince William and ex-husband of Bollywood star Karisma Kapoor, reportedly died of anaphylactic shock after being stung by a bee during a polo match in Windsor, England.
I don’t know which med school or civilian lifesaving courses you attend - but emergency cricothyrotomy surely isn’t a skill that is taught and mastered by any of these I teach.
Cric is a delicate skill that needs repetition and knowledge - it’s far from easy and not even close to what is shown in some bad TV shows.
As a civilian what I know is hit the notch in hard cartilege approx 2 fingers below the Adam’s apple, incision half an inch deep, and if you get the tube in you have to breathe for them.
And that you should only do it if there are no medical people present and the person is obviously dying.
So… how do you tell an airway obstruction requiring an improvised tracheotomy and a similarly-presenting respiratory distress (resulting from, say, catastrophically low blood potassium) apart? Because if you get that wrong suddenly someone, who needed at worst an hour of IV therapy and a flintstone chewable to make a full recovery, is drowning in their own blood.
I’m assuming you’ve contacted 911 / emergency services since you know that the ambulance is 20 minutes away. In that case, the dispatcher will step you through an emergency diagnosis and if such an extreme action is warranted either they will put you in touch with a medical professional who can instruct you on safe procedure, or they will be a qualified paramedic and instruct you themselves. However that is EXTREMELY unlikely, tracheotomy are almost never warranted (outside of television) in emergency situations, as stabbing someone in the neck is not a trivial thing to do. In my region the procedure isn’t even taught to first responders (Edit: I was half wrong, paramedics still learn it but EMTs do not) as it’s long been surpassed by modern intubation techniques and treatments like fast-acting anaphylaxis medications.
In short, follow the guidelines you are taught in your first aid class and contact emergency services. Don’t stab someone in the neck.
Eh I have no knowledge about tracheotomy besides what I’ve seen on TV but I mean if push comes to shove I’m just gonna jab a pen tube in the victim’s throat man, it’s gotta be worth a try. /s
Honestly, I think it was ignorance and/or hubris. He was either unaware of his allergy (miraculously never stung before, or developed allergy later in life), or he was kind of aware, but never assumed anything could go wrong.
“Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity.” – Hanlon’s Razor.
Anaphylaxis sets in fast,but not within seconds - we are talking more like a couple of minutes and they can be treated.
Adrenaline is one component of the treatment besides other medications (that actually “counteracts” the anaphylactic reaction, Adrenaline more or less is mainly used to buy time and fight the worst symptoms).
Airway management, fluid management, etc. are other things we need to consider.
I don’t know which med school or civilian lifesaving courses you attend - but emergency cricothyrotomy surely isn’t a skill that is taught and mastered by any of these I teach.
Cric is a delicate skill that needs repetition and knowledge - it’s far from easy and not even close to what is shown in some bad TV shows.
As a civilian what I know is hit the notch in hard cartilege approx 2 fingers below the Adam’s apple, incision half an inch deep, and if you get the tube in you have to breathe for them.
And that you should only do it if there are no medical people present and the person is obviously dying.
Nothing beats a layman explaining the job most professionals won’t do to a professional who does it.
BTW: This is all wrong and will make things worse. Please don’t do what this dude writes.
So… how do you tell an airway obstruction requiring an improvised tracheotomy and a similarly-presenting respiratory distress (resulting from, say, catastrophically low blood potassium) apart? Because if you get that wrong suddenly someone, who needed at worst an hour of IV therapy and a flintstone chewable to make a full recovery, is drowning in their own blood.
Thank you, this is the kind of reply I was hoping for. I would love more information.
So, if the person has completely stopped breathing, and ambulances are 20+ minutes away, should I limit my response to attempted CPR?
Is it your opinion even if they have been stung by a bee etc?
The answer is: YES
I’m assuming you’ve contacted 911 / emergency services since you know that the ambulance is 20 minutes away. In that case, the dispatcher will step you through an emergency diagnosis and if such an extreme action is warranted either they will put you in touch with a medical professional who can instruct you on safe procedure, or they will be a qualified paramedic and instruct you themselves. However that is EXTREMELY unlikely, tracheotomy are almost never warranted (outside of television) in emergency situations, as stabbing someone in the neck is not a trivial thing to do. In my region the procedure isn’t even taught to first responders (Edit: I was half wrong, paramedics still learn it but EMTs do not) as it’s long been surpassed by modern intubation techniques and treatments like fast-acting anaphylaxis medications.
In short, follow the guidelines you are taught in your first aid class and contact emergency services. Don’t stab someone in the neck.
Eh I have no knowledge about tracheotomy besides what I’ve seen on TV but I mean if push comes to shove I’m just gonna jab a pen tube in the victim’s throat man, it’s gotta be worth a try. /s
Hell, I’d jab a pen in your throat right now if I suspected it would somehow improve your health
iirc Epi-pen is the usual treatment, and those things are pretty easy to obtain.
I think that OP philpo is on to something, that the medical staff was a bit slow to deal with the situation.
Honestly, I think it was ignorance and/or hubris. He was either unaware of his allergy (miraculously never stung before, or developed allergy later in life), or he was kind of aware, but never assumed anything could go wrong.
“Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity.” – Hanlon’s Razor.
With anaphylactic shock, the timeline could be literally seconds. He could be dead before they even figure out what’s wrong.
Anaphylaxis sets in fast,but not within seconds - we are talking more like a couple of minutes and they can be treated. Adrenaline is one component of the treatment besides other medications (that actually “counteracts” the anaphylactic reaction, Adrenaline more or less is mainly used to buy time and fight the worst symptoms).
Airway management, fluid management, etc. are other things we need to consider.