Science: Health: Heart
Cardiac Arrest Shock Pants   (+2)  [vote for, against]
For emergencies

The recommended procedure for cardiac arrest includes regular chest compressions. This is enough to pump some blood around the body, to prevent brain damage until the heart is restarted.

Meanwhile, in a different context, battlefield injuries are sometimes treated with shock pants. These are inflatable cuffs which completely cover each leg; when inflated, they compress the legs to ensure that blood stays mainly in the upper body.

It occurs to me that these two treatments could be combined. If shock-pants were swiftly fitted to someone who has just suffered a cardiac arrest, and if a battery- powered compressor inflated and deflated the pants regularly (say once every two seconds), they would probably pump more blood around the body than simple chest compressions. After all, the legs are bigger and squishier than the chest, so the volume of blood moved ought to be greater.
-- MaxwellBuchanan, Sep 01 2015

"Renew" http://billionsinch...com/solutions/renew
Seems like baked...? [Inyuki, Oct 14 2015]

Oh, you are being creative about the whole vascular system!
-- Mindey, Sep 02 2015


do the whole body, then you get breathing too.
-- bs0u0155, Sep 02 2015


Back pressure may change the chest compressions and because the extremities are networks of fine vessels, some of which are valved, puffy pants may not be a simple exercise to obtain a pulse wave. Don't fighter suits just increase the overall pressure reducing the chances of passing out?
-- wjt, Sep 05 2015


^ G-suits increase the pressure in the legs only; above would make it difficult to breathe. P-suits are budget spacesuits, unrelated.
-- FlyingToaster, Oct 14 2015


I could have used a cardiac vest on Friday night, when I was having my heart attack! (not making this up) I'm ok now, but the bottom line is that running 20-30 miles a week for 20+ years did not save me, and I now have 4 stents fitted (as of Monday). I have to take a zillion tablets now for life.... BUT I still managed to post up two new ideas here! Ha - The Halfbakery versus the Half-beatery.
-- xenzag, Oct 14 2015


wow. Sorry to hear that. I'm simultaniously glad I've been avoiding that obviously dangerous running stuff...
-- bs0u0155, Oct 14 2015


The actual heart is very healthy and strong, but the arteries supplying it with blood were clogged. Usual problem for a lot of people, and mostly genetic inherited propensity. If my ideas stop coming here, you will know why!
-- xenzag, Oct 14 2015


Wow - glad to hear you're OK, [xen], and hoping you're here to post for many years to come.
-- MaxwellBuchanan, Oct 14 2015


It's hard to rid of bad thing! Thanks for kind comments.
-- xenzag, Oct 14 2015


Grammar gland still not recovered, then.
-- MaxwellBuchanan, Oct 14 2015


Word drop on ipad.... here it is, ready for transplanting: "a"
-- xenzag, Oct 14 2015


//Grammar gland still not recovered, then.// tsk,tsk.... if that's a question, then does it not require one of these '?' ?
-- xenzag, Oct 15 2015


Tsk indeed. It was an observation. Did it look like a question?
-- MaxwellBuchanan, Oct 15 2015


Yikes, xenzag, stay well
-- calum, Oct 15 2015


Oops - only just read this.

Keep beating, heart of [xenzag].
-- pertinax, Oct 18 2015



random, halfbakery