Bls

[new intern]

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If we encounter a stituation in a public place with a person developing cardiac arrest, and we want to resuscitate that person:

1. Should the second rescuer also be BLS certified? I guess not. Right?

2. We will not know details about the person and if I am apprehensive in doing mouth to mouth breathing, what can be done?

 

[velo]

If we encounter a stituation in a public place with a person developing cardiac arrest, and we want to resuscitate that person:

1. Should the second rescuer also be BLS certified? I guess not. Right?

2. We will not know details about the person and if I am apprehensive in doing mouth to mouth breathing, what can be done?

If you have two people participating in the resuscitation I think they should both be certified. If only one person there is certified I think you should do one-rescuer CPR and, of course, have one of those bystanders call 911 and get an AED is available.

I don't think there's a lot of risk to mouth-to-mouth (TB is the only transmissible thing I can think of that may come into place) but I agree it's a little gross. If you are in a public place and have an adult with a witnessed cardiac arrest and little chance that it's primary respiratory (as in, they didn't just drown or something) I believe new guidelines would support the use of compressions-only CPR. Just push hard and fast for two minutes until EMS arrives or you have an AED.

 

[drfunktacular]

If you have two people participating in the resuscitation I think they should both be certified. If only one person there is certified I think you should do one-rescuer CPR and, of course, have one of those bystanders call 911 and get an AED is available.

I seem to recall from my BLS course that if one bystander is certified they can direct untrained bystanders in performing chest compressions. Maybe not, though.. 😕

 

[velo]

I seem to recall from my BLS course that if one bystander is certified they can direct untrained bystanders in performing chest compressions. Maybe not, though.. 😕

Yeah I was less sure about that, I may be wrong. I guess what I'm saying is if I were in that situation I would start performing one rescuer CPR, probably compressions only if it were a witnessed arrest, and only bring in an untrained bystander if I got too tired to do compressions well.

love your signature by the way.

 

[JayneCobb]

Compressions are more important than breathing as long as hypoxia isn't the cause of the arrest. If it is a prolonged arrest, you can be prepared and carry something like this on your keyring.
http://www.firstaidandsafetyonline.com/files/categories/First%20Aid/CPR%20MDI73-402%20Micromask%20LG.jpg

I've got a couple similar to that which stay in my first aid kit in the back of my car, but not on my person. Some public stores will have these items in the kit with their AED.

But if we think about it, what infectious diseases are we really worried about being transmitted? Barring tongue lac, HIV is very, very unlikely, even oral STDs such as chlamydia are rarely transmitted orally to anything, and to be honest a rare occurrence to be transmitted genitally to orally. HSV-1? who hasn't had a canker sore in their life anyways? HPV? doubt it, Hepatitis? perhaps if they just finished filming a XXX porno. As mentioned, TB, and bacteria which cause pneumonia can be transmitted that way as many are normal colonists of the orapharynx anyways, but that doesn't concern me too much. TB, Influenza, and possibly SARS I guess are probably the worst things I could imagine catching from performing mouth to mouth.

 

[new intern]

Thanks for the input..