Comments on: Is It Safe To Perform Cpr Without Any Experience?

By: Ladyoasi

Ladyoasi — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 12:26:45 +0000

Honestly, no is not safe. CPR is not as easy and you can actually harm the patient if is not correctly done. And the TV shows just won’t give you the whole picture: the timing, the position of the patient’s body (specially the neck), the position of your hands, etc.

By: immortal

immortal — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 11:48:39 +0000

well… I advise you to get some sort of training, however, if you see someone and give them your help and they are unconscious, then you have their consent. If a person is unconscious and are in shock ( you can tell if the skin is moist and clammy) then if you don’t do something they WILL die.
I don’t think it is safe if you do it improperly, or if u don’t have a mask of some sort. In that case, you will be having direct skin to skin contact and that can be very dangerous for you. You should ensure your safety before a strangers safety. Also, if it is a relative, a close one, then maybe you wouldn’t mind being in contact with them.
So sometimes no matter what you do, in a situation where a person is having cardiovascular arrest there is not much u can do nor the doctors can do… it is all up to the creator at that time. All you can do is pray.
Nevertheless, it is advised by professionals, if a bystander does not know CPR, skip the mouth to mouth part and do compressions on the chest (hard and fast) until help arrives (call emergency).

By: ToxLabRa

ToxLabRa — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 07:55:57 +0000

Well, it is for this reason that the “Good Samaritan Law” was put into place. It was put into place to protect those persons who tried to save the life of someone, when there was no other option available and who would have otherwise died without the help.
It is always best to have someone trained and certified do this type of thing, because yes there are complications and damage that can be done when someone who is not trained performs chest compressions on a patient. The biggest one is applying too much pressure and this can lead to breaking ribs. In some cases if the ribs are broken in such a way that results from extreme force, then they can actually do damage to the internal organs, example would be puncturing a lung and causing that lung to collapse.
I think everyone should go and learn how to do chest compressions, or at the very least read about it and watch videos. Even experienced personnel can still cause ribs to fracture, such as in the case of elderly patients or other patients with fragile bones. For the most part the bigger ones to be concerned about are the small children and the elderly. In these cases it is always best to let someone with the most knowledge do CPR on these patients. If no one is available and you are all that exists, then of course, it is better than nothing, and again that is why the above mentioned law was put into place.
Good sites to have a look at:
CPR for infants and small children with video:http://depts.washington.edu/learncpr/inf…
CPR for adults:http://www.firstaidweb.com/adult.html
Good Samaritan Law:http://definitions.uslegal.com/g/good-sa…

By: UNCOLA

UNCOLA — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 03:50:46 +0000

Things happen. If someones heart is not beating it is better to do something than nothing. While it would be optimal if this person had their cardiac event in the presence of trained medical personnel this is not usually the case.
CPR is not hard an I would suggest everyone take a basic lifesaving course. If you haven’t and something terrible happens while you are present, action is better than inaction. You really can’t make being dead any worse. There is a chance that you can save someones life. Call 911 and perform CPR to the best of your ability. As I said it can’t get worse.
When EMS responds, if the patient has been without a heartbeat for any period of time the chances of this person recovering are slim. ANY measure to restore circulation is imperative to optimize the chances for this person.

By: littlefu

littlefu — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 01:43:30 +0000

No, it is not safe and not recommended for an amaturer to perform CPR. The movies only show so little that it does not give anyone he right idea to perform a CPR.
Lets continue your case scenario, you see someone collaspe and become unconsicous, that person looks bad, you need to help but dont know what to do. The only you can do is call 911, unbutton the person’s shirt/collar/blouse for easier breathing, make sure a large circle is not formed too close (otherwise harder for the person to breath), and wait, or ask loudly “does anyone here know CPR?”
1 rule in CPR treatment is that once you start the CPR, you start controlling the person’s breathing, you cancelled out the lung breathing by itself and therefore you must continue the CPR without stop until help comes. Now lets say you actually performed it right, but for how long? you need to wait for the ambulance to arrive, wait for them to quickly get the equipment (which would feel like forever), and you have someones life in you hands. And hey, if (which would be unlikely possible for amaturers but maybe for people with luck) you actually saved the person but injured them in the process, they have the right to sue. Plus you never know, if you save them but injured them, but later know that the person didnt need CPR just yet but you forced it on to him/her.

By: Victoria

Victoria — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 21:51:37 +0000

If you see an adult drop unresponsive on the street, start compressions. If you’re not trained in CPR, it doesn’t matter. Don’t breathe for the patient, don’t put your mouth on theirs, just do compressions. That is what is recommended by the American Heart Association.
There is a new form of CPR called Hands-Only CPR. I’m a huge advocate of this, and I think everyone should become aware of it. The steps are incredibly simple, and anyone can, and should do it. When you see someone go down, call 911 and push in the center of the chest as hard and fast as you can. Don’t bother breathing for them, and do NOT think you’re going to hurt the patient. If they’re not actually in cardiac arrest, you’ll most likely arouse them enough by pushing on their chest, and then you stop.
If a lay person begins CPR before EMS arrives, the patient has a very significantly better chance of surviving. Remember, there has never been a successful lawsuit against someone who has performed CPR!! If they’re already in cardiac arrest, you cannot make it worse… even if you break ribs. And yes, if the patient isn’t huge, you will break ribs. It’s gross when it first happens, but it will allow for easier compressions. This is totally normal, and don’t be afraid of it. Again, if you break a rib doing CPR and the patient lives, who cares about the broken ribs? If you don’t do anything, the patient WILL die. Studies show that even when ribs are broken, it does not cause enough internal damage to prevent that person from doing compressions in the first place. Remember, the patient is dead! They can’t get worse.
Here’s the FAQ section of AHA’s Hands-Only CPR website. http://handsonlycpr.org/faqs.html
That should give you further information about your question. It’s a great website, and a great way to educate yourself about what to do if the scenario you are asking about really happens to you.