And I passed.
Hopefully, I'll never have to use this training, but at least I am ready if a situation arises.
We also covered a few other topics: bleeding, choking, stroke, burns.
Besides the training, I learned a couple of interesting tidbits. Did you know these?
1)
In 2006, the Red Cross updated its official guidelines, instructing people to do five back blows on choking victims, and only try the Heimlich if the back blows didn’t work. At Heimlich's request, they also removed the phrase “Heimlich maneuver” from all their literature and training materials and replaced it with the phrase “abdominal thrust” instead. Heimlich still disagrees with the two-part recommendation, and didn't want his name attached to anything that suggested hitting a choking victim on the back. “I have no desire to diminish the good work that the American Red Cross has done, such as in times of natural disasters," Heimlich tells mental_floss, "but telling people to hit a choking person on the back could potentially lead to death. The Red Cross should do what the American Heart Association does—recommend the Heimlich Maneuver as the sole method for saving the lives of choking victims.”
2)
When an adult or adolescent has a sudden cardiac arrest (SCA), the person becomes unresponsive and stops breathing. The person’s body is still loaded with oxygen, it’s just that the heart has stopped beating and the oxygen is not being circulated.
‘Compression-only’ or ‘hands-only’ CPR is chest compressions without rescue breaths. It is a public service initiative for untrained rescuers to easily learn how to call 911 and then provide immediate chest compressions when they witness an SCA of an adult or adolescent.
Compression-only CPR does work, but only for a very specific type of cardiac arrest: Witnessed SCA of an adult or adolescent.
When cardiac arrest is unwitnessed, the person may have been down for a while. If so, the body is oxygen-depleted and the person will benefit more from CPR with rescue breaths than with compression-only CPR.
And I was reminded of one other thing...... when a person is in cardiac arrest, he/she is on death's doorstep. Without some type of assistance, he/she will die. That said, performance of CPR -- while it may break a rib or a breastbone or possibly cause severe internal bruising -- can't hurt the person any more than they are already hurt.
Food for thought.
If you haven't been through CPR training, I'd highly recommend.
Grace & Peace & Love to you all -
Matt