ejk47@ihuxn.UUCP (Ed Kufeldt, ihuxn ejk47) (02/09/84)
Barb, I used CPR once before I obtained my Basic Rescuers card for
a MI on a 62 year-old man. I was rewarded with the saving of his
life. Since that time, I went on to get my Instructors Certification.
As a past Firefighter and EMT-A I have performed CPR at least 100
times since my Instructor Certification. My biggest reward came in
saving the life of a 5 year-old boy who was found face-down in a
swimming-pool. Yes Barb, you can be a life-saver too. I found
that faced with the emergency situation you will act instinctively,
and without hesitation. I seriously recommend that any able body
person over the age of twelve be taught CPR. The reason I picked
the twelve and over catagory is that, you must have the strength
to compress the sternum. Remember CPR when down incorrectly is
no better than doing nothing, and when done correctly it is only
about 30% effective as far as oxygenating the blood and circulating
it.
Congratulations on getting your Basic card. I know if the situation
arises, you will perform without any problems.
Ed Kufeldt
:~)avi@pegasus.UUCP (02/10/84)
tekig1!barabral asks: B I went to a CPR class last week. I'm curious...has anyone A out there (who is not in the medical profession) actually R used their CPR training in an emergency situation? Could B you keep a "cool" head and remember what to do? My first reaction is to say that although I AM medically trained, I don't feel certain that I would react well in an emergency situation!! However, you have to look at the other side of the issue. Until competent medical people arrive, you may be the only one there. Even if your technique is not perfect, you can keep some oxygen flowing to their brain to prolong their ability to survive until the troops come marching in. A second point has to do with the definition of "lay person". Once you have been certified as qualified in Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation, you are now able to perform cardiac massage and breathing exercises. This does not mean that you can not be sued if you goof (I think it depends on which State you are in). It also does not mean you are trained to administer oxygen, insert an IV, do an emergency tracheotomy or deal with Spinal Cord injuries. (I know how to do these things, but my training is different.) It is important to periodically take a refresher course, after you are first certified -- particularly if you have not had an opportunity to use your knowledge. You also need to stay in shape. I have only practiced on the usual "Annies" and on people who were already dying, but were getting CPR to make sure that we could say "everything was done until nothing else worked". It can be rather tiring. After twenty minutes, my clothes (luckily they were hospital "greens") were totally soaked with perspiration and I was exhausted. Upon autopsy, I found out that I had managed to crack a few ribs, because she had been old and brittle. However, I probably would have saved her under normal circumstances -- if she hadn't been dying in a coronary care unit. In summary, I think everyone should be trained in CPR, so that we would not have so many "lay persons". However, it is important to make certain that someone is REALLY not breathing before you force yourself on them. :-) As usual, the above comments are not meant as medical advice, and do not represent the opinion of anybody but myself. -- -=> Avi E. Gross @ AT&T Information Systems Laboratories (201) 576-6241 suggested paths: [ihnp4, allegra, cbosg, hogpc, ...]!pegasus!avi
barbaral@tekig1.UUCP (Barbara Lee) (02/12/84)
I went to a CPR class last week. I'm curious...has anyone out there (who is not in the medical profession) actually used their CPR training in an emergency situation? Could you keep a "cool" head and remember what to do?
lipman@decwrl.UUCP (02/13/84)
From: asylum::simon
Path: "...decwrl!rhea!asylum!simon"
I too have taken CPR. I have not had to use it and am periodically recertified.
If a friend starts choking, I usually look to the heavens and exclaim,
"Please lord, don't make me have to do CPR."
I have only had one possible chance to use it and I was dining with someonw
(make that 'someone') who is trained as an EMT. I let him rush to the aid
of the woman in distress. A woman in the restaurant (who turned out to
be a nurse also came to the victim's aid).
I think that if I was the only one able to give aid (or if it could not
be determined immediately that other help was around) that I would have
no fear of administering CPR. I do still hope that I never have to do
so.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Re: Extended Wear Contact Lenses
I, too, wear extended wear lenses. I have worn them up to about a
week but usually find it comfortable to wear them three or four days and
then take them out for a day.
My first pair felt good from the day I got them until the day
they disintegrated. I have had the extended wear lenses for about
three years and each replacement has been for the same reason.
That is, after about a year, I put them into the enzymatic cleaner
one night at bedtime and I wake up to find one of them noticably
thinner. I then go to clean the lenses and the noticably thinner
one breaks. I asked the doctor about this and he says a year is about
the most you can expect a pair of these lenses to last. Fortunately,
I usually need a prescription adjustment at that point anyway.
Each new pair I get seems to feel better than the last. I never
experienced the blurring problem. I have had momentary blurring but
it always clears after a blink or two and happens very infrequently.
I do experience some drying out but less than when the lenses
were new. I will have to try a humidifier and see if things clear up.
All things considered, I would give my extended wear contacts
a rave review. (I am a camper and I can remember sterilizing my lenses
over a campfire - now I just clean them after I get home).
Flying Blind...
Denise Simon, Digital Equipment Corporatin, Hudson, Ma.wn9nbt@ecn-ee.UUCP (02/15/84)
#R:tekig1:-152900:ecn-ee:18400001:000:1110
ecn-ee!wn9nbt Feb 14 15:14:00 1984
One additional comment I would like to make regarding the CPR
class, did you take the long or short class ? I am an instructor
and an EMT-A and have taught both the short class (approx 4 hours,
covering one rescuer CPR) and also the long class (approx 12-16 hours,
covering 1 and 2 rescuer cpr, airway obstructions, infants, and more).
With the long class, you get more practice time and a wider range
of situations to handle. I think the average person may respond
better after the long class than the short, simply due to more
practice and training. No one that I have taught has contacted me
and said that they had done CPR on a person, so I don't know if
this is a valid assumption or not. If you have the option of taking
either class, I would recommend the long class over the short class,
however, don't pass up a short class until a long class comes around.
They are both good to know and well worth the time to take them.
Every person responds differently to different situations. Just
remember to keep calm and remember what you have been taught.
.......Dave Chasey
pur-ee!wn9nbtneal@druxv.UUCP (Neal D. McBurnett) (02/15/84)
After having taken one CPR course and a subsequent refresher course, I happened to be on the Staten Island Ferry when a very overweight man collapsed. There was one other person on the scene who know what he was doing and "took charge". We did a 2-rescuer CPR on him, with me doing the artificial respiration the whole time. after only a few minutes, he came to, so we stopped, but then he stopped breathing again, so we resumed the respiration. This cycle repeated at least once more before the crew located an artificial airway, which kept him breathing until we pulled into port and the ambulance arrived. I'm glad there was someone else there who had dealt with this stuff before. There were lots of eager on-lookers who offered lots of advice, and the main thing I learned was that I have to be prepared to make a fast decision as to whether I do indeed feel competent to "take charge" and over-ride what I percieve to be ill-informed advice from others. So think about it NOW: are you prepared to assume the responsibility? If not, I think you should intensify your training until you are, -Neal McBurnett, AT&T IS, ihnp4!druxv!neal