There is grim news to report from New York City.
NBC News reports cardiac arrest patients will longer to be transported to hospitals if they do not have a pulse. The decision was made to protect first responders from the coronavirus.
“Typically, if someone has had cardiac arrest – such as a heart attack or severe trauma – EMS units will try and take that person to the hospital, even if there’s no blood flow, while working to bring their pulse back en route,” according to the stunning report.
Paramedics will render aid on the scene.
Under the rule, “if you can’t get revived on scene, that’s it. They’re going to work on you, but if they can’t get a pulse back, they won’t transport you” to the hospital, a medical worker explained to the New York Post.
WNBC reports the newly implemented order was implemented in an effort to control the surge of patients in hospitals due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
The order was issued by the Regional Emergency Medical Services Council of New York, a body that governs the city’s emergency medical services.
“For patients EMTs do attempt to resuscitate, if after 20 minutes of CPR, the defibrillator or the heart monitor shows a “no shock indicated” or a non-shockable rhythm and there is no blood circulation, CPR is to be terminated,” they further reported.
The New York Post reports that the FDNY released new instructions for how paramedics and firefighters are to interpret the new guidelines.
If “the patient meets criteria for obvious death,” such as rigor mortise, “do not initiate resuscitation” the department says. Otherwise emergency personnel are to try to the revive the patient for 20 minutes, then “terminate resuscitation” if they have no success, the newspaper reported.
EMTs are also required to wear gloves, masks and other protective gear, and are urged to use “the minimal number of providers necessary” to limit their exposure to the coronavirus.