You open the shirt to expose the skin for a defib. also...as I stated I left as I saw he was in good hands and thats why I stated it APPEARED they were doing or going to start CPR. They were doing all the prelim stuff like watching his breathing, checking his pulse.....but I left and never actually witnessed any CPR.
He was on the ground, flat on his back for at least 20 minutes and and was placed on a cart after that. He wasn't sitting up on the ground under his own power. They CERTAINLY could have performed CPR then placed him on the gurney for transportation.
Again, I hope and pray he is OK.
Oh yeah, don't get me wrong, they could have been performing CPR. As I said, I was not there, just trying to clarify what I read from the standpoint of an EMT, and am not trying to argue with you. The only thing that would strike me as odd, being an EMT registered in the Peoria Medical System, is that protocol for a cardiac arrest, i.e. the only time CPR is appropriate, is to start CPR and haul a**, to the nearest hospital. Being so close to a level 1 trauma center, it would be foolish for me, or any EMT to waste 20 precious minutes onscene with a critical patient when I am that close to the hospital. Thus, to me, and in my experience, this sounds like the same protocol i would follow for a patient having a heart attack. Depending on blood pressure, I would have them sit up, lie down, or have their feet raised, push some drugs via IV, get a monitor reading, then head to the hospital.
Also, many monitors that are used in the pre-hospital setting are also defibrillators, in fact the one i use one my patients is. I hook it up and it says "Press Charge to Shock Patient" which really gets me a weird look from a conscious patient.

Then I assure them I am just looking at the monitor. So we are both technically correct on the point of why the shirt was opened.
I hope and pray that this person makes a full and speedy recover.