Dead or paralyzed?

[Joe[x86]]

This question has been debated over in the back of my head several times since an inservice at work where we discussed spinal injury CPR and backboarding, and the manager stated that the Red Cross puts more priority on them surviving than them not having a broken back, so he said we would not tie them down to the backboard, but get them out of the water as quickly as possible to begin CPR.

Not that what you say here matters to them anyhow, but would you rather be properly backboarded and run the risk of death, or be improprerly backboarded and run the risk of paralysis?

[disco]

death.

[topaz]

It takes twenty seconds to do both. Your manager is a retard.

[Newby]

Deader than a doornail.

[Rule]

Well, of course it depends on the probabilities involved. 

- What is the probability of death if I am rushed out and not backboarded?
- What is the probability of paralyzation if I am not backboarded?
- What is the probability of death if I am backboarded?
- What is the probability of paralyzation if I am backboarded?

My guess is that being properly backboarded would have a very small (if any) increase on my probability of dying, while it would greatly increase my probability of not being paralyzed.  So obviously I would prefer to be backboarded.

However, if I strictly have a choice of death or paralyzation, then I chose paralyzation.

[Banana fanna fo fanna]

uh. i was taught to always backboard

[Joe[x86]]

In this case you have a spinal injury already, so you could possibly be paralyzed already. We were taught to not backboard them because they might be (clinically) dead and need CPR, and taking the time to backboard them would decrease the chance of CPR restoring their heartbeat.

I agree with Topaz (what?!), it's not hard to backboard if you have the slightest clue what you're doing. The first time we did it during training I think we went from patron survelience to having them strapped down and out of the water in about 20 to 30 seconds.

[topaz]

Of course, if you're on a time constraint (say, the victim was in the water for up to three minutes), it *might* be wiser not to backboard, since parts of their brain might begin dying from oxygen deprivation.

[vuther.de]

uh.. death I would hate to be paralyzed

[Falcon[anti-yL]]

If I was paralyzed I wouldn't be able to do many of the things I enjoy in life so... why live?

[Joe[x86]]

@topaz: That's why we're not supposed to backboard in that situation.

@inner, Falcon: That's exactly what my point was.

[SecureBot]

If I was paralyzed I wouldn't be able to do many of the things I enjoy in life so... why live?

Maybe, but if you were dead you wouldn't be able to do anything at all. (Assuming after-life consists of maggots eating you.)

Paralyzed all the way.

[Hero]

Dead

[warz]

Look at Stephen Hawking. He has lou gehrig's disease. That's basically being fully paralyzed, and he's a famous black hole master.

[Mystical]

paralized completely? like not being able to get it up as well? =)