Search This Blog

Wednesday, February 19, 2014

Here's a tip that can save someone's life...

How many things can you think of that you did better the first time you did them than the second?

Not a lot, right?

Here's the point: You have a rediculously high chance of seeing someone you know have a cardiac arrest, and getting it right the first time is important.

So you and your spouse need to take turns pretending that the other just had a cardiac arrest and acting out what you would do.

What would you do?

Hopefully, you would...
  1. Determine that it's safe to help - there's no high voltage power line on top of the person, right?
  2. Check to see that the person is truly unresponsive and not breathing normally.
  3. Call 911 while walking to the door to unlock it. 
  4. And don't let 911 hijack the call - and tell them (a) where you are, (b) what's wrong, (c) what you are doing about it, and (d) what you need. If you don't take charge of the call, they will keep you on the phone longer than you can afford to ignore the victim.
  5. Get the victim on their back on a hard, flat surface and start chest compressions - at least two inches deep, and at least at a rate of 100 - 120 per minute.
  6. Don't even think of breathing for that adult - they won't need it for the first 5-10 minutes, and interrupting the compressions, really reduces their chance of surviving.
It will be soooo much easier to get it right if you have practiced. Seriously.

See www.slicc.org if you have questions.

Best,

Bob