Unsuccessful CPR

[seagull20]

My DS is a beach lifeguard. Yesterday there was an emergency on the beach, they performed CPR and used the defibrillator and then assisted emergency services when they arrived. Unfortunately it wasn't successful.

He was very upset when I collected him after work. We have talked about it a lot and he seems OK, upset and shocked but understands they did best they could. His work and the emergency services have been really reassuring too. He is very upset about the person who died and their family and kept saying 'why does everyone say well done when he died.'

I've not been through anything like this and neither has DH, we both have boring office based jobs. I'm wondering how we can best support him- can this kind of experience cause PTSD or is to be expected in this kind of job? He is only 18, I don't want to keep fussing him but I want to make sure he is OK after and stays OK too. How long does it take to get back to normal after this kind of experience.

My friend is ex front line ambulance crew and had to perform CPR/defibrillation many times. He once told me that immediate action from bystanders gives the patient the best chance they could have until the paramedics get there. Your son did a fantastic and incredibly difficult job. My friend also told me, incidentally, that he was invariably thanked by the families of the people he couldn't save, but very rarely by the families of the ones that he did. By the way, the trauma can stay with you in the background for years - he has just completed PTSD counselling for incidents that happened over 15 years ago. Please get your son any help he may need, it's a lot to deal with, especially for one so young. I wish him well.

Poor boy. I'm a Paramedic and do CPR for work. I'm fully trained and know exactly what I'm doing.

However, I get back a small % of people. That's when I'm surrounded by colleagues and we are all working as a slick well oiled machine to resusitate someone. Sometimes it works.

CPR is about giving them a chance to survive - It's in no way a guarantee. Your lovely boy did so well to give them that chance. Please tell him how wonderful he was to do that.