CPR Changes
When I was 15 and a half I became a certified SCUBA diver. 6 months later when I turned 16 my “Junior” certification expired and I never got the adult certification. I never dove again.
3 weeks ago I went to the class and got certified to perform CPR. There had been a choking incident at the daycare and, while the staff were all certified, it turned out that very few of the parents were, so they brought in a trainer to do a class. Seemed like the prudent thing to do, so I did it.
Today, the American Heart Association has changed the procedure. No more mouth-to-mouth, they’re saying chest compressions only is just as effective. Sounds good to me. The chest compression part of the procedure is straightforward and fairly obvious, whereas the mouth-to-mouth seemed to me to be the clunky part of the task. Open the air way, close off the nose, 2 big breaths, watch out for puke, and hope you don’t get a blood or saliva-borne infection.
Not that a 90 minute class makes me any kind of expert, but I’m all for this change personally. If any of you folk keel over, I’ll thump on your chest all day and night.
/w
Monday, March 31st, 2008
