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[deleted] OP t1_ixy1p08 wrote

Reply to comment by jersey_girl660 in OD terribly handled at the Filmore Philly, and I need to vent by [deleted]

[deleted]

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jersey_girl660 t1_ixy23ad wrote

From Alberta health services in Canada. This is a huge misconception harm reduction advocates have been trying to fight.

“While better than doing nothing, performing only chest compressions on a person experiencing an opiate overdose will simply move blood in the at body that has not been oxygenated, causing the vital organs to continue to be deprived of oxygen. Therefore giving rescue breaths to a person who has overdosed on opioids can help prevent that person from going into cardiac arrest, and has the potential to save their life. When a person who is not in cardiac arrest stops breathing and is unconscious because of an opioid overdose, it is very important to CALL 911 and continue giving rescue breaths until Emergency Medical Services arrive.”

“Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) usually involves giving breaths and/or chest compressions. Breaths serve to re-oxygenate a person’s blood while chest compressions help circulate blood while the person’s heart is not beating. Opioid overdose is one of a number of special circumstances where it is recommended a different approach than CPR. Opioids bind to receptors in the brain responsible for controlling respiration. After binding to the receptors, they decrease the rate of breathing, which can slow to a point where a person stops breathing altogether. Opioid overdose occurs with higher potency of the opioid, reduced tolerance, co-morbidities (such as chronic lung disease) or when combined with alcohol or other drugs that depress respiration. Without enough oxygen, the heart will stop beating and the individual will die due to lack of oxygen to the vital organs particularly the brain. Although death can occur within minutes of taking an opioid, more often there is a longer period of unresponsiveness lasting up to several hours.”

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jersey_girl660 t1_ixy1zdt wrote

Also if you ever go to an edm event again I can give you a link for prevention point Pittsburgh. They can send you free narcan. Idk if they’ll allow it inside the venue though/ which is sad .

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valgerth t1_ixy7bll wrote

They do. I was at this show tonight, and I bring vials of intramuscular naloxone with me in a case on my hip. Never had an issue. All the clubs in the city do in my experience (NOTO, TLA, The Ave, The Foundry, Union Transfer and The Fillmore all off the top of my head).

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jersey_girl660 t1_ixy1teo wrote

You should always be doing rescue breaths as well for opiod ods

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Chompondees t1_ixymib9 wrote

Yea the problem is... nobody knows what anybody ODs on. Even in the ER, after drug testing... we still have no way of knowing.

and chest compressions are the only thing that has ever been shown to improve survival, so wasting time trying to give "rescue breaths" (which zero people, including EMTs, do correctly) is detrimental to survival.

chest compressions->transport to hospital

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[deleted] OP t1_ixy20jx wrote

[deleted]

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jersey_girl660 t1_ixy29lo wrote

You still did the right thing. They still sometime teach this opiod ods. It’s absolutely better then doing nothing. Idk why a venue would think it’s better to have no one work on an overdose then someone until emts arrive . Sad.

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Chompondees t1_ixymkfy wrote

well no, if they have no pulse, that is the primary issue.... regardless of what drug they might have taken

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