Onboard Defibrillator

[Sandy]

Probably GTN for angina. I can’t spell the name without looking it up.

@PilotWolf , thanks that is the stuff.

 

[penberth3]

Probably GTN for angina. I can’t spell the name without looking it up.

W

Glyceryl Trinitrate? Without looking it up!

 

[AntarcticPilot]

Glyceryl Trinitrate? Without looking it up!

Otherwise known as nitro-glycerine! And yes, it is used to treat angina.

 

[Slowtack]

Ah nuts... This is not about OUTboard defibrillators.....

 

[PilotWolf]

Ah nuts... This is not about OUTboard defibrillators.....

I seem to remember a Benny Hill sketch (IIRC) where the ambulance crew were defibrillating some one using jump leads! So it might work...

W

 

[Juan Twothree]

Do the RNLI carry them (routinely) now?

Generally, no.

They are carried on the permanently-manned lifeboats on the Thames, as they are more likely to get to a casualty within 10 minutes.

Realistically, a costal lifeboat is very unlikely to get to someone within that timeframe. From the call going in to the CG, to the crew being paged, getting to the lifeboat station, getting afloat and on scene....... there's the 10 minutes gone already.

I believe that one or two of the big lifeboats in Scotland carry defibs, at stations where they regularly transport medical cases off the islands.

What all lifeboats DO carry, however, is the aforementioned GTN spray, to open up the blood vessels, and also chewable aspirin, to make the blood less clotty.

No good for someone in VF or VT, but useful for someone having a heart attack.

 

[Stemar]

Probably GTN for angina. I can’t spell the name without looking it up.

W

That will ease the pain from a heart attack or angina, but IIRC, doesn't do anything for the condition. Someone with angina will probably have their own supply, so it wouldn't be part of my 1st aid kit. The best onboard treatment for anything that might be a heart attack is an aspirin. A Disprin Direct under the tongue of a conscious patient while waiting for help has, as far as I'm aware no contraindications apart from allergy to aspirin, and can be a life-saver.

NB - I'm not a medic. I believe this to be correct, but do your own research

 

[john_morris_uk]

That will ease the pain from a heart attack or angina, but IIRC, doesn't do anything for the condition. Someone with angina will probably have their own supply, so it wouldn't be part of my 1st aid kit. The best onboard treatment for anything that might be a heart attack is an aspirin. A Disprin Direct under the tongue of a conscious patient while waiting for help has, as far as I'm aware no contraindications apart from allergy to aspirin, and can be a life-saver.

NB - I'm not a medic. I believe this to be correct, but do your own research

IIRC the dose is 300 mg of aspirin asap after the onset of a suspected heart attack.