CPR

[Dleg]

I took a CPR refresher course just about three weeks ago now (actually "basic life support" - same thing), and sure enough, last night I found myself in a situation where I needed it.

Not CPR, but a choking child. My 2 year old niece choked on a piece of banana last night, and I got on it right away, and managed to get it dislodged with the first few blows to the back. Fortunately, I didn't need to start chest compressions. It was a tense situation, but everything was cool afterward, although everyone was pretty rattled (it was at a party for her older brother's birthday - way to steal the limelight!).

It got me thinking what a critical skill CPR and choking responses are, and how few people get certified. It's really pretty scary.

What I also found interesting was that the CPR training these days doesn't even require breathing - just chest compressions. I think that's kind of weird. The BLS instructor I had told us it was because people, in general, find rescue breathing to be "icky" and sometimes avoid giving CPR for that reason, so they dropped the breathing requirement to try to encourage more people to respond. For BLS, we did the breathing - our instructor said it's still a good idea, to avoid brain damage from lack of oxygen to the brain.

 

[Ble_PE]

The only "training" I've had for CPR was in 9th grade health class when we had to perform CPR on one of those CPR dummies. I really need to take a class, especially one for kids and infants. I need to see what's available around here.

 

[Master slacker]

I was CPR and lifeguarding certified about 13 years ago. Stayed up to date on CPR until about 12 years ago. After spending years popping my wife's back (and her mine) in a similar fashion as the Heimlich, I'm sure I would at least look like I know what I'm doing.

 

[KEG]

I've had yearly recertification for CPR and medic first aid since 2001. I got to use the Heimlich at a restaurant about 5 years ago. A child at the next table started choking and I was able to get the food out fairly easily. Didn't even have time to really think about it.

My daughter had a seizure when she was a little over 1 year old (4 years ago) & stopped breathing. I gave her rescue breaths and luckily she opened her eyes back up like "what are you doing, Daddy?". I can honestly say though, for a brief moment, I couldn't remember a damn bit of CPR, much less infant CPR, or even think wtf to do! Luckily, reaction and adreniline kicks in and you really don't "think", you just do it.

I used to be one of those employees that griped every year when the CPR/Medic First Aid safety meeting came around. That all changed after I got married and had a kid. And now that I'm VP of Engineering, safety falls under mine and the operations VP's responsibility. So when some employee starts the bi$%ching about CPR recert, I tell them the story about my daughter.

So my answer is yes and I firmly believe that everyone should have CPR/Medic First Aid training

 

[FusionWhite]

I have kept up my CPR training for several years now although I did let my HAZWOPER cert lapse.

After several years of having a really good trainer come here to our office I think I could definately do it if required.

 

[Capt Worley PE]

My wife and I keep talking about taking classes, but haven't. Really should do something about that.

But the Heimlich and rescue breathing I learned years ago in lifeguard training and still feel confident with that.

 

[Road Guy]

Yes I have it, I took a refresher type class to get my rescue diver certification over the summer, the certification agencies the diving people use still require the two breathes, because its more helpful for drowning incidents.

try doing cpr on the surface of the water while dragging an unconcious diver to the shore, its farily difficult!

But yeah I think it almost should be taught your senior year in high school so everyone has the basics...

 

[bigray76]

When I was still an active firefighter (up through '05) I stayed up with my certification... haven't had a refresher in 5 years. I have had to do CPR a couple of times for real... honestly, anything you do is better than nothing.

 

[snickerd3]

getting rid of the resuce breathes is new, but studies have shown that for adults ONLY that the rescue breathes really don't make that much of a difference. usually for adults it is a heart related issue so the compressions are more important. For children they still say give the breathes bc with kids it is more likely due to a breathing problem.

if they can get more people to be willing to give the compressions, then there is a higher likely hood people could make it until medial assistance can show up.

 

[Capt Worley PE]

honestly, anything you do is better than nothing.

I agree, but tell that to the lawyers, which i believe is the real reason most people shy away from it. SC has a 'good samaritan' law, but that won't stop the greedy bastages from suing.

 

[blybrook PE]

My certification is expired; but I have used those skills when I was current. I used to hold a BLS with AHA, but the local coordinator is a douche & won't tell me when I can get re-certified (says that I need to coordinate with the individual instructors, even though that's his job). I won't take another Red Cross class if I can help it; the AHA course was MUCH better. When I can get re-certified, I'll go for instructor certs as well.

I have to re-cert for regular first aid and CPR sometime this next year, so will take the Wilderness First Responder course to get it all done in one shot. Since I run with search & rescue, it's a requirement. I used to run with fire department (Structural II certified), so that's where I got my BLS.

Things have changed significantly since I first certified almost 10 years ago. Once you know it and have had to use it, you don't forget it.

As for the good Samaritan law, it usually covers you, IF you are currently certified. If not and something goes wrong, you are hosed. But everyone is so sue happy these days, most people let their certs lapse and leave it at that.

I'll still help someone if they need it; hell my office knows that I'm not current, but I'm in charge of AED training sessions & ensuring that it's up to par. We even have a certified instructor in the admin department, but they won't certify that the AED is operational as they won't get the proper training (what is wrong with that picture???)

 

[Dleg]

I agree that the BLS course is better than the Red Cross courses I took in the past, but that may be because our isntructor here is a respiratory therapist, and has done that so many times in the hospital that he has a story for everything. Especially with the children - for me that's the hardest stuff to remember. WHen my niece started choking, I couldn't immediately remember what position to get her in for toddler heimlich. I remembered being told that, for infants, the bck blows often work right away, so since she was standing, I just started doing those, and bent her over a bit so the food could drop out. But it took 5-10 blows. It felt like forever, and I was already starting to think about what to do with her next.

Yeah, she just looked at me like "WTF?" afterward, too. Her Mom was totally paralyzed, though. I guess there's always going to be some people who just don't react.

I used to be one of those employees that griped every year when the CPR/Medic First Aid safety meeting came around. That all changed after I got married and had a kid. And now that I'm VP of Engineering, safety falls under mine and the operations VP's responsibility. So when some employee starts the bi$%ching about CPR recert, I tell them the story about my daughter.
So my answer is yes and I firmly believe that everyone should have CPR/Medic First Aid training

Nice!

 

[Wolverine]

We have mandatory once-a-year training here at my job, and yes, I had to do it once.

Long story short, we were out building mountain bike trails in the middle of the woods in July when this guy dropped. Two of us were trained, but the other guy had JUST done his, plus his wife was a nurse so he had the special CPR rescue kit in his backpack. At first the guy was semi-breathing with a pulse, so we prayed it was just heat stroke.

Then his pulse stopped. We did tandem on the guy for 20 min until the EMTs finally found us, and then they worked on him another 20min before they called it. Very surreal experience; scary as hell, but your adrenaline screams for you to do something.

The county coroner later told me the guy was 53 but had the heart of an 80 year old man. His dad died at 55 and his uncle at 52, and his wife said he used to joke that he was going to go sometime soon of the same. So that made me feel a little better.