I saved my friends life last night

[NAKID]

Hmmm, I wonder why they teach something completely different than the AHA? Military uses AHA for everything, even the Heartsaver course for non-medical personnel...

[ducpainter]

AHA curriculum is pretty standard and Adam is right. It's currently 30/2 with a rate of about 100 compressions per minute.

Back blows are only used on infants and toddlers.

Heimlich maneuver is used until the victim goes unconscious, they they are lowered to the floor and chest compressions are done.

This is per the current BLS for Health Care Providers curriculum.

My question still stands then.

What good are breaths if the airway is blocked?

I admit I have no training, but common sense says if the air isn't entering the lungs all CPR is accomplishing is to circulate oxygen deficient/depleted blood.

What good is that?

[NAKID]

Blood on it's way back to the heart to be pumped to the lungs still has about 75% oxygen saturation. Your body doesn't use every bit of O2 in the blood the first time around. The chest compressions after the victim passes out is to help dislodge the object blocking the airway. Sometimes the airway relaxing after the victim passing out is enough for the object to be dislodged easily...

[rgramjet]

I almost killed my friend.  

Took him for Sushi for the first time ever.  We ordered an assortment and a big shrimp tempura roll that stood about 3" tall with all kind of stuff hanging off it.  I told him it was bad manners if you dont put the whole thing in your mouth.  Just as he did, the waitress tapped him on the shoulder startling him and making him inhale the roll.  Next thing I knew, his face is turning ble, eyes are bulging and he's desperately reaching into his own mouth to clear out seaweed, shrimp and chunks of rice.  I didnt even notice til he started banging on the table to get my attention....that waitress was HOTT!

Luckily he cleared it out.  I felt like a dick but still break his balls about it now...

[LMT]

My question still stands then.

What good are breaths if the airway is blocked?

I admit I have no training, but common sense says if the air isn't entering the lungs all CPR is accomplishing is to circulate oxygen deficient/depleted blood.

What good is that?

When a choking person goes unconscious, check for signs of life (object may have dislodged on the way down), if none, try two rescue breaths, if they do not go in try again (think user error)  if they do not go in the second time the airway is officially obstructed.  Give 30 chest thrust at 100 beats a minute (takes 18 seconds), grab the tongue and look for object.  If no object, try 2 breaths (maybe object went down), if breath does not go in give 30 more chest thrusts.  Look for object,  see object?  Grab it.  Try 2 breaths, if the breaths go in check for signs of life.  Professional rescuers only do 5 chests thrusts every cycle.  At the end, if there are no signs of life then start CPR.

[Mother]

AHA sucks, plain and simple. I have learned CPR 19 different ways. just pick one for christs sake. every year it is different, then different for laymen vs rescuer, then different for 1 or 2 rescuer, then different for each of the 4 age catagories...its make the beast with two backsing stupid...it is a skill that should be standardized across the board due to the fact for most everyone CPR is a panic situation and you don't need to a bunch of confusion as to which way to do it...its even worse when there are multiple trained people who learned in different years each telling the others they are doing it wrong

[NAKID]

That's one of the things they recently changed, the only difference now is 2 rescuer infant CPR...

[Popeye the Sailor]

So wait......


CPR does not entail taking the unconscious persons wallet first?




I've been doing it wrong for years.

[Mother]

no, there is still a difference between layman, rescuer,  1 and 2 rescuer and then infant. also there is the way it is actually done in the field and then there is ACLS CPR and ROC Study CPR...way too much

[Mother]

AND...they are just going to change it again next year...

[NAKID]

That's true, they change it a lot. Not that it matters to me, it's the protocol I am required to adhere to....

[Nitewaif]

Yep, they frikkin change CPR every year and it's a pain in the ass.  It all gets the job done.

Good on ya for saving your friend.   



When I was a kid, probably 5 or 6, my cousin choked on a gobstopper.  I didn't even notice.  Luckily, all the men in my family were firemen.  My uncle ran over and grabbed my cousin and in one big stroke picked him up against his chest and gave him a helluve Heimlich.  The gobstopper went flying through the air and nailed the opposite wall really hard, leaving a purple stain.  I laughed til I nearly peed myself.  So I learned about the heimlich at a young age. 

[El Matador]

Awesomeness man!

Badass fabricator and now life saver? You should be listed under awesome in the dictionary 

[yotogi]

awesome, you too are a hero!!

http://www.robotchicken.org/index.php?title=Heimlich_Begins

[wbeck257]

lol...



we learned a new way again this year. add another training dvd to the stack of outdated ones.