[ad_1]
Milwaukee — Bill Thompson is an ER and ALS Supervisor for Bell Ambulance in Milwaukee and has been a paramedic for nearly 13 years.
Dealing with patients suffering from cardiac arrest is fairly common.
“To be honest, there are too many,” said Thompson. “Some days it seems like part of the routine at work.”
This is the part of the job that typically doesn’t attract thousands of people in the stands and millions watching on TV.
Such was the case when Dumar Hamlin of the Buffalo Bills went down on Monday Night Football.
Hamlin was given CPR and a defibrillator was used to resuscitate him on the field.
Thompson said about 2,000 people watched him work on patients at a soccer game.
That large audience can add a little stress to first responders.
“When you’re taking care of a patient, you get used to the rhythm of what you’re doing. I think that sort of thing just kind of blurs in the background,” says Thompson. “You literally become you and your crew and their patients, so you forget the fact that you are being watched by so many people.
There have been many stories about the trauma Hamlin’s teammate on the Bills and his counterpart on the Cincinnati Bengals experienced seeing one of themselves in need of life-saving support on the field.
That trauma isn’t just for those players.
First responders who care for patients like Hamlin deal with the same trauma.
It’s not easy to see someone fighting for their life almost every day.
“There’s a certain amount of truth to the whole ‘going numb,'” Thompson says. “You see it as part of your job.”
They may be numb to it because it’s become so routine, but Thomson said there has been a push in recent years to focus on mental health, and companies are helping paramedics and first responders He said he was providing resources to get help when he needed it.
“Everyone handles trauma differently. Just because we see trauma all the time doesn’t mean it doesn’t affect us in some cases,” Thompson said.
Athletic trainers and paramedics at the scene were able to resuscitate Hamlin on-site before taking him to the hospital, Thompson said, and the rapid response of CPR and an automated external defibrillator (AED) allowed him to recover. He said he saved Hamlin’s life.
Both he and his colleague Russell Johnston would like to see more people trained.
“We want to start high-quality CPR as soon as possible and use a defibrillator as soon as possible,” says Johnston. “It could be the difference between life and death.”
Click here to see where you can take CPR classes around Wisconsin.
[ad_2]
Source link
