One
busy Sunday afternoon, we received an urgent phone call from
the Vancouver police department. A valued member of the Dog
Squad, Bear, had been electrocuted on the street as he was
working a drug
house. The officer on the phone told us that Bear had fallen
to the ground in convulsions and had stopped breathing. They
believed that he was in cardiac arrest (that his heart had
stopped) and they were doing CPCR (cardiopulmonary cerebral
resuscitation).
At the time of the phone call, Bear had not been breathing
for several minutes. They were continuing CPCR as they placed
Bear
in a squad car for emergency transport to the hospital
Electrocution
is a life-threatening emergency that can cause immediate problems
such as cardiac arrest, seizures and fluid buildup in the lungs
(noncardiogenic pulmonary edema). The lack of oxygen to the
brain and body from cardiac arrest can have severe consequences
even
if the heart can be restarted and the patient begins to breathe
again on their own. CPCR, although
lifesaving, can have its own consequences such as bruising
to the lungs that may need to be dealt with after resuscitation.
In the days following electrocution, problems can include lung
damage, heart arrhythmias, kidney failure and permanent brain
damage from lack of oxygen.
The VAEC team
had all these consequences in mind as we set into action to
save this canine police officer. We prepared for CPCR by assigning
team members roles that they would take in the CPCR. As team
leader, Dr. Hall would intubate Bear while Galina (a veterinary
technician) would be responsible for cardiac compressions.
After
his endotracheal tube was secured, Dr. Hall would take over
cardiac compressions and direct team actions. Galina, a veterinary
technician,
would then ventilate Bears lungs with oxygen while Tanya, another
technician, administered emergency medications, set up the
ECG, placed an intravenous catheter, and remained ready to
take over
cardiac compressions. Sarah, the VOA, was to be a “floater” and
perform tasks such as drawing up drugs and assisting in any
way that she could.
The resuscitation area was readied by
selecting endotracheal tubes of various sizes, preparing for
oxygen delivery,
drawing up emergency drugs such as epinephrine and atropine,
readying ECG and blood pressure monitoring, setting up intravenous
fluids and blood gas analysis.Within
minutes we heard police sirens growing closer as the police
escort rushed
Bear to the hospital.
Bear was carried into the treatment
area by his handler and several other police officers that
had been
on the scene. To our relief, Bear was sitting up and able
to breathe on his own. CPCR would not be required but now we
had
to deal with the potentially life threatening consequences
of cardiac arrest, CPCR, and electrocution damage in the
body. Bear’s
body had been without oxygen for up to 4 minutes. |
