Ask Lemmy

I have been a CPR instructor and assessor

I won't bother with breathing for someone I'm doing CPR on

Afaik the breathing requirement has been mostly removed and it's all about compressions. To quote my instructor "hard, deep, fast"

My certification expired a while back. I have some of those keychain sized shields in most of my backpacks and travel bags. And a large shield in my actual first aid bag.

The one time I did have to do CPR was at a house party and an elderly man collapsed and fell into the pool. I went from very black out drunk to doing compressions until EMS arrived. I will never forget the gurgling of the water in the back of his throat when I gave rescue breaths. I didn't have a mask, and it didn't matter because trying to save his life overrode any concerns of him coughing or vomiting.

While waiting for EMS and performing CPR, one drunk guy literally pulled me off him and said "give him some air!" And all I could think was "that's literally what I was doing." When EMS arrived, they took over CPR and I took on keeping the man's daughter away while they tried to resuscitate him. The other people there kept saying things like "he'll be okay" and I kept having to physically hold her back as her dad died right in front of her. I was telling her that we had to let the paramedics do their job and "they're doing everything they can for him." I knew not to say anything that would give her false hope.

Sadly, he passed away. I remember hearing he died the next day, after the family was able to say good bye. So I don't know if they were able to restart his heart or not or get him on life support.

After the paramedics took him away, I overheard the guy that pulled me off him was going to take CPR classes so he'd know what to do in that situation. Well, first of all, don't fuck with the guy that does.

Anyway, I hope you never do have to perform CPR, but it's great that you took the time to get certified and recertified. If you do need it, it's reassuring to know that you'll be prepared. I was prepared for breaking ribs, but not for the gurgling sound during breathes. It's the one thing that's really stuck with me. And even though the man I assisted passed, I never felt any guilt or regret because I knew that I had the knowledge of what to do and that I did everything that I was able to do to give him the best chance at surviving.

Nah, because chest compressions in rhythm are the best thing until medical professionals arrive. The degree to which the straws / shields help is minimal at best and actually detrimental at worst.

Also, anyone reading this should get certified. In the US, it takes a couples hours in one day and lasts a year.

In Switzerland you have to get a certificate to make your driving license and are required to have a first aid kit in your car. If you get stopped by the cops and they find the kit in your car is expired or is not to the norms you can get a fine.

What I carry most of the time with me is a Kinder-Egg capsule with latex gloves. I have them im all my bags. (You can get fucked real bad if you touch a bleeding person with your bare hands. A small cut on your hands is enough for the nastiests illness to be tranfered. At the course for certificate they made sure to tell us all about the risks.)

Also as far as I know in Switzerland, if you fail to help someone you can get can get in trouble with the law. It goes from a small fine to up to 3 years in jail.

I did my CPR and First aid earlier this year (3rd time) in Australia and mouth-to-mouth wasn't taught as part of CPR this time.

I have wilderness first aid certs and have come across people that took up my offer of aid, not CPR specifically.

I sometimes have a mask in my kit, but it's among the first items to get left home if I'm watching pack weight. In the wilderness, hours from a helicopter evac, if a person isn't surviving with the help of chest compressions then air isn't going to make any difference anyway.

No. Last info I heard, chest compressions were all that was necessary.

I have one in a first aid kit in my vehicle – I have no clue what condition it is currently in.

Realistically you’re probably just going to be doing chest compressions until someone brings an AED and/or is a professional.

Yes I am certified but I have never owned a mouth shield.

Might be worth looking into why so many medical professionals have a DNR... 🤷🏼‍♂️

I have to take a first aid course every two years for work. The more I take it, the more determined I am to NEVER use any of it.

The course has gone from "Here's a few things you can do to help someone who is injured or choking" to "Here's how to fuck up your life and make what's left of theirs even worse".

The first aid course has pretty much scared me off of ever trying to help somebody beyond calling for help.

Yes and yes

I got certified in June. I don't carry a mask because the risk of disease transfer is small, and I don't want one more thing to worry about if it's something I have to do.

There's a small, practical first aide kit in most of my packs (2x alch pad, bandaides, benedryl, gauze pad, superglue), and a full one in my car. The one in my car is still mostly practical (all of the above plus more gauze, sling, calomine, butterfly bandage, antibiotic ointment, BP cuff, stethoscope, SpO2). Most of it is meant to stop bleeding I just don't want on my seats.

I probably have a couple in my car or in old backpacks. Condition unknown.

Not everywhere but I do have one thrown in my work backpack whenever I'm travelling to plants.

No I am not.

Funny enough: I am not CPR certified.

But on the other hand I am a critical care paramedic,so there is that.

Privately I carry fuck all. Basically every car has a first aid kit so I can get gloves from there if needed. If I am a bystander somewhere I won't need more then my hands. The main goal of CPR are chest compressions - ventilations aren't urgently needed and by then the chances that someone with a first aid kit or a first responder turning up is high. Stop the bleed is something else, there you need stuff and training, but luckily that's not really a topic here.

Only difference is in my car, I do carry stuff there (a BLS kit including an AED) as we are part of a first responder app network - dispatch can deploy up to 3 off duty medical personnel/first responders (from paramedics, firies, cops, nurses, doctors, medical technicians, etc.) that volunteer for this in additon to the regular units. (ALS+BLS ambulance, ALS+ response vehicle) This way people fairly close by respond - mosf of my cases are within 500m.

BTW' These app based responder projects exist almosf worldwide and often they are open for everyone who is CPR certified. And if they aren't they still need donations, if your region hasn't one pester your politicans why no Because they are literally the biggest step in survival since defibrillation was.introduced prehospitally. Yes,that big.

And they are bloody cheap.

TLDR? Do compressions. Learn to "stop the bleed". Join a App based responder programm.

Nah, i just let them die if their hygiëne is so messed up i dont want to give mtm. Like, Im not the fucking ambulance.

I was when I was a Scout. I never carried anything specifically around just in case, tho. I never even trained on any tools other than the dummy you practice on.

I'm first aid certified. 39 years ago.

The latest first aid guidelines in Australia say to do EAR, but my employer's training was to use a non rebreather and oxygen therapy with no breaths. Maybe that's an advanced resuscitation thing. I think it dropping breaths happened during Covid.

A recent heart attack I was at where I worked on the patient with the ambulance (outside of work) also didn't do breaths.

Yes. Also yes. I clip the breather to my backpack. It just hangs there and I don't notice it.