Dubious CPR scene from Mediacorp medical drama 'Healing Heroes' leaves S'poreans in stitches

Lol.

Mandy How | September 12, 2022, 04:24 PM

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Despite what people may say about local productions, the shows are still watched by a segment of the population.

This is evidenced by a recent stir on subreddit r/Singapore, where a user highlighted a tragically comical CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) scene from "Healing Heroes".

The title, which premiered on Aug. 9, 2022, is Mediacorp's first medical long-form drama.

It stars Chen Han Wei, Ann Kok, Shaun Chen, Pierre Png, Paige Chua, and Zhang Yao Dong, alongside fresh faces from Star Search 2019:

  • Herman Keh
  • Zhang Ze Tong
  • Gini Chang
  • Sheryl Ang

In the CPR scene, an aspiring doctor played by Zhang performs the procedure on a patient who is being wheeled in for emergency rescue.

Zhang, however, deviates quite greatly from the prescribed method, and instead of compressing the patient's chest, bobs his head up and down in an absurd fashion.

As a result, Zhang and Mediacorp received a number of crushing comments on the acting:

However, some also came to Zhang's defence, pointing out that his posture was correct, just that he could not actually perform the compression as it was only a drama.

The patient's ribcage could get crushed if Zhang had applied himself properly, others reasoned, although that was quickly met with suggestions that the camera angle could have been more conducive in making it look realistic.

In a subsequent thread, the same user showed Zhang performing CPR in another scene, which looks slightly more believable thanks to the camera angle:

The show wasn't the only one to have been criticised for ridiculous acting, as a Filipino drama similarly received flak for its CPR scene that went viral.

One third of cases experience cracked ribs

According to SCDF, about one third of cases will sustain cracked ribs during the course of CPR.

Those who are performing the procedure will hear a cracking sound if this happens, but they are advised not to stop with the CPR, which could be essential in saving the patient's life.

Cracked ribs, on the other hand, do not cause serious implications.

Here's how to perform CPR, from Singapore Heart Foundation:

  • Kneel with knees slightly apart.
  • Interlace fingers.
  • Place the heel of your hand on the lower half of the sternum (breastbone).
  • Position your shoulders directly over the casualty’s chest.
  • Straighten both elbows and lock them in position.
  • Use bodyweight to achieve a compression depth of 4cm - 6cm and compress at a rate of 100 - 120 compressions per minute. The chest should fully recoil (come up all the way) after each compression.

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Top image via meWATCH