The Rhode Island Association of Fire Chiefs is trying to spread the message about the changing emergency medical protocol. On March 1st, emergency responders will be required to resuscitate a cardiac arrest patient for at least 30 minutes before bringing them to the hospital.
The Warwick Fire Department has been using the protocol since the fall. Dr. Joseph Lauro said nationwide data shows performing CPR at the scene had better patient results than transporting the patient immediately. “Literature over the years has increasingly demonstrated that interruptions in compressions are associated with worse outcomes,” Lauro said.
“We worked on him, we got a pulse back, we got his blood pressure back. I thought ‘wow, that’s amazing.’ That was after 15, 20 minutes,” Lt. Henrik Dunlaevy said.