Cardiac arrest and chewing gum - an unfortunate combination

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Author(s)
Jayasinghe, Satyajit
Thompson, Angus
Razak, Shakeeb
Griffith University Author(s)
Year published
2007
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We report a case of successful resuscitation after cardiac arrest associated with obstruction of the airway by chewing gum.
In December 2005, in Port Hedland, Western Australia, a 57-year-old electrician was found unconscious by workmates 5 minutes after he was seen working normally. He was not breathing and had no pulse. Bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) was commenced immediately and an ambulance arrived within 3 minutes. Cardiac monitoring showed the patient was in ventricular fibrillation. Direct-current defibrillation was performed three times, resulting in reversion to ventricular tachycardia, rapid atrial ...
View more >We report a case of successful resuscitation after cardiac arrest associated with obstruction of the airway by chewing gum. In December 2005, in Port Hedland, Western Australia, a 57-year-old electrician was found unconscious by workmates 5 minutes after he was seen working normally. He was not breathing and had no pulse. Bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) was commenced immediately and an ambulance arrived within 3 minutes. Cardiac monitoring showed the patient was in ventricular fibrillation. Direct-current defibrillation was performed three times, resulting in reversion to ventricular tachycardia, rapid atrial fibrillation and, within minutes, spontaneous reversion to sinus rhythm.
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View more >We report a case of successful resuscitation after cardiac arrest associated with obstruction of the airway by chewing gum. In December 2005, in Port Hedland, Western Australia, a 57-year-old electrician was found unconscious by workmates 5 minutes after he was seen working normally. He was not breathing and had no pulse. Bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) was commenced immediately and an ambulance arrived within 3 minutes. Cardiac monitoring showed the patient was in ventricular fibrillation. Direct-current defibrillation was performed three times, resulting in reversion to ventricular tachycardia, rapid atrial fibrillation and, within minutes, spontaneous reversion to sinus rhythm.
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Journal Title
Medical Journal of Australia
Volume
187
Issue
11
Publisher URI
Copyright Statement
Thompson AG, Razak S, Jayasinghe R. Cardiac arrest and chewing gum — an unfortunate combination. Med J Aust 2007; 187 (11): 635. © Copyright 2007 The Medical Journal of Australia – reproduced with permission.
Subject
Medical and Health Sciences
Psychology and Cognitive Sciences