Lives are being saved each year in Louisiana because of the rediscovery of an ancient method of massaging the heart first learned by Japanese judo experts almost before written history began.
The technique of closed chest heart massage was demonstrated at Charity hospital Sunday at the fifth annual refresher course of the Louisiana Association of Nurse Anesthetists.
Nine patients have been saved by the method at Charity hospital since June 1, according to a member of the anesthesia department. ,He added that more have been saved at other hospitals in New Orleans.
The technique, completely bloodless, is based on hand pressure about 60 times a minute to the strenum, or breast-bone. At the same time the patient's lungs are inflated with a hand pump or mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.
Dr. James Arens, chief resident in the anesthesia department, told the nurses that the closed chest method "is apparently similar to a technique known to Japanese judo wrestlers back in ancient times."
