TMZ has the 911 tape of Donda West’s last moments and it’s tragic. The people with her freak out while they’re talking to the 911 operator and waste valuable time while they should be performing CPR. The 911 operator is an arrogant ass and instead of helping and jumping right in with the CPR instructions he wastes even more time asking the same questions over and over again and acting superior. I didn’t want to listen to the tapes, so don’t do it if you’re the type that will think about it and get bothered like I did. You wonder if something could have been done to resuscitate her and if one or both of the parties on the phone were more cooperative if she could have been saved. One thing the tapes (they are in two parts) brought home to me is that you should learn CPR, and can at least look it up on You Tube now before making an appointment to take a class because you may need to use it at any time.

It really annoys me that these tapes were published. If it was my family member or friend who was dead or dying on the other side I would never want this to be heard. I tried to google to see if 911 recordings were public information, and was unable to determine this. Does it vary by state and what are the laws governing release of these recordings?

Update: Thanks to commentor Rio for noting that CPR is not as effective as we might think. Here’s a scientific article about how television makes it seem like CPR has a much higher success rate than it actually does. Also thanks to the medical professionals who commented that it’s likely that there is not much that could be done for Dr. West. Our hearts go out to Kanye and his family over the holidays.

911 records seem to be available public records that can be requested through the Freedom of Information Act. (Thanks Mike D)

Update 2: By saying CPR is not as effective as it’s shown in the media, I did not mean to suggest that you shouldn’t learn and practice this life saving technique. Here’s a very good comment from reader Julie.

The chances of seeing someone regain a pulse while doing CPR are very slim. (Let alone seeing someone breathing and regaining consciousness while doing CPR – which commonly happens in TV shows and movies!) A rescuer who performs CPR is, however, keeping lifesaving oxygen in the body’s systems, making the chances of their survival higher once they reach the hospital (where medicine, defibrillation, surgery, and highly trained staff are available.) Even then, you are right that CPR isn’t a gurantee – depending on the cause of cardiac arrest, other injuries, the victim’s overall state of health – it may not work. But CPR, begun as soon as possible and done properly, can increase a person’s chance of survival.

I am a first aid and lifeguard trainer, and I always teach people to have realistic expectations of what is possible when they do CPR on someone, but I ALWAYS explain this in the context that it’s better to get trained and tried than to have done nothing at all. It is shocking to me how few people get trained in CPR……tragic stories like Donda West’s, where no one on the scene knows what to do, are sadly common.