Not a question. I am interested in your thoughts and feelings about what a friend of mine told me to do last week.

He was visiting here the day before Thanksgiving, and had..."an episode" of some kind. He passed out after I got him onto my office chair, I rolled him (on the chair) over to the bed, and I had to lift him onto the bed. I hurt my back pretty badly. He lost control of himself, and had no memory at all of my moving him.

I thought about calling 911, but I didn't because I knew my friend would be really angry.

He assured me later that he would have been very angry if I had called 911, and that he never would have forgiven me. He said if it ever happens again, he is a DNR but he wears no bracelet advising EMTs that he is a DNR.

I have begun to worry about my legal liability. Another friend told me that it may have been a TIA or small stroke.

If my friend had died, I believe I might have been legally liable for not dialing 911 but I don't know for sure. And I am not authorized to convey any sort of DNR information to the EMTs if such a thing should happen again.

I am interested in hearing your thoughts.

This page is a permanent link to the reply below and its nested replies. See all post replies »

pennynoodles · 56-60, F

You may remember me telling you about my dad who the ambulance crew tried to resuscitate, 45 minutes after he died. Although he was in organ failure, because neither him or my mum had signed a DNR, they were legally bound to try and resuscitate him. Ask your friend where he has it written that he is a DNR. It is important that you know, if these are his wishes and feel free to use my scenario if you like to explain how important it is. Thank goodness my dad did not come back to life after 45 minutes....can you imagine the brain damage?
At one point the police were going to be called in as my mum hadn't called the ambulance for about twenty minutes after his death. I don't know if the law is the same over there but you do need to talk this through with him.

4meAndyou · F

@pennynoodles I do remember, now, that you told me. Your story was quite chilling. I will call 911, I have decided, and if I am very, very lucky he will be so angry afterward he will stop coming over SO much. This week has been very stressful. I really enjoy seeing MAF about once a month, but I can't deal with this 4 times a week stuff. And I don't want him to die over here. I thought he was dead at one point, and he was in my office chair right beside my bed. Imagine trying to go to sleep for the rest of my life if he had died right then!

pennynoodles · 56-60, F

I've literally been doing a First Aid course the last two days. It is important you get him on to the floor and not the bed. Apparently, when the paramedics arrived at Michael Jackson's house, they found the doctor giving him CPR on the bed; this would never have been effective. For CPR to work, it has to be done on a hard surface.

4meAndyou · F

@pennynoodles I had thought of the floor a day or so ago. He would then have been right in a good spot immediately, I wouldn't have hurt myself trying to move him, and he wouldn't have "gotten" my brand new office chair. He would have been uncomfortable, and when he woke up he would have had a chore getting himself up. All food for thought.

samueltyler2 · 80-89, M

@pennynoodles I hate to be the neigh Sayer, but, out of hospital CPR without a defibrillator is almost always unsuccessful. Even if there overturn of spontaneous circulation, a very small percentage survives to be discharged home from a hospital and then looking at 6 month survival, the prognosis is dismal.

pennynoodles · 56-60, F

I am aware of this. It is particularly unsuccessful when they have been dead for 45 minutes lol @samueltyler2