Did you ever think you really knew something, something vitally important? Only to find out the things you thought you knew were not only out of date, but also bordered on dead wrong?
I took a basic lifesaving class when I was in college and thought I knew enough to save a life. Not only that, my oldest brother was a fireman and a couple of good friends are paramedics. So of course, just by osmosis, I had to know what to do if I were faced with a life-threatening situation.
Boy was I wrong.
I recently took a CPR/Stop-the Bleed class put on by the Starbright Civic Collective and Ocean Ridge police and found out how limited my skills were.
The two-plus hours of class with 20 students included a candid, non-medical-term lecture followed by live practice where we each got the chance to resuscitate a training dummy and “stop the flow of blood” in a demonstration body wound.
Countless things in life can cause a medical issue, and the older we get, the more likely someone we know will need medical assistance. Traffic crashes come to mind, but so does slipping in the shower. Heck, just the aging process makes us more prone to cardiac issues, as well as sleep apnea and other conditions.
Along this coast, we have some of the best-trained first responders working in our fire and police departments. Yet, no matter how quickly they might respond to a 911 call, our waiting for their arrival may not be good enough.
Brain damage can occur within a few minutes of a heart attack without CPR. The longer it takes for oxygen and blood flow to be restored, the greater the risk of brain damage or death.
CPR is typically required if a person has stopped breathing because of a heart attack. In the past, I was taught to do 30 pumps on the chest, followed by breathing into the mouth for a couple of puffs, continuously repeating.
The most important thing the new class taught me is how to do proper CPR — using your hands and arms to compress the chest rapidly. That forces the flow of blood needed by the brain.
You have to push really hard. The compressions need to push the chest down at least a couple of inches to really pump blood. It’s best to get the person on the floor or other hard surface — where it’s easier to compress the chest than on a bed or couch.
Why not just use automated external defibrillators, which hang in plastic boxes in so many public hallways? The AED may be a great tool when used in conjunction with CPR, our instructor, Officer/Paramedic Jimmy Pilon, told us, but will not save a life on its own. CPR is still needed.
Stop the bleed …
You should also know how to stanch bleeding from a critical wound so a person doesn’t bleed out while waiting for paramedics to arrive. These most serious wounds, such as from slicing open a finger or stepping on broken glass, require constant pressure to slow or stop the bleeding. It might require packing the wound with sterile gauze — even using a clean dishcloth or T-shirt is better than nothing.
If you ever encounter a person in medical need, here are some tips: Put your phone on speaker so your hands are free; call 911; and be ready to provide a street address and to follow the operator’s directions.
Learn the basics now. Find a class to take.
Who knows, you may get a chance to be the first responder, helping save a life until trained professionals arrive.
— Jerry Lower, Publisher
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