1)   Have you ever had to use CPR outside of the training facilities?

Yes, I have been a paramedic for close to a decade.  I have worked in both hospital (pediatric intensive care unit and pediatric emergency room) and pre-hospital (fire/rescue) settings.  I have done CPR and worked multiple codes with varying successes.  I cannot stress enough how important it is for lay rescuers to promptly begin CPR prior to the arrival of rescue.  The average response time for rescue to arrive and begin patient care is about six minutes; that is from the time you pick up the phone, to the time rescue makes patient contact.  Coincidentally, at about six minutes the body has used up all of the available oxygen in the blood, and the brain begins to die.  If rescue can restore a perfusing rhythm with CPR and advanced life saving techniques, the internal damage may have already been done.  The times when the family or public have initiated CPR, the success rates increase exponentially.

2)   Have you ever had a student come back and tell you they used CPR?

Yes and no, I have had students tell me stories of previously doing CPR, but I have never had a student that I taught CPR to return with any stories.  I always tell my students, “Chances are that you will never have to use your training, but in the event of an emergency, we can all agree that this is pretty good stuff to know.”

3)    How long have you been teaching this life saving technique?

I started teaching CPR seven years ago, and ACLS (advanced cardiac life support) and PALS (pediatric advanced life support) two years ago.

4)    Are there any common misconceptions when it comes to CPR?

Yes, there are many misconceptions about CPR.  The two biggest ones I come across is that the public thinks CPR is a fix all save all technique.  Unfortunately, this is not the case.  CPR is very limited by itself.  I am not saying that CPR doesn’t work; I am saying that they need more than just CPR.  For example, if someone has a blood sugar of 12 mg/dL, CPR will not magically increase the blood sugar or if someone is having a stroke or heart attack, CPR will not magically break up that clot or mend the ruptured vessel, but will CPR will do, for lack of a better term, keep them fresh by circulating fresh blood and oxygen and continue to perfuse the body’s vital organs and buy us time until more advanced life saving techniques can be performed, such as administering medications or surgical procedures.  CPR can increase someone’s chance of survival by up to 95%.  Second is many people hear the term cardiac arrest and relate that to heart attack or that AEDs (automated external defibrillators) are used only for heart attacks.  These are both clearly not true; the fact is that while cardiac arrest can be caused by a severe heart attack, cardiac arrest can also be caused by the stroke, diabetic emergency, trauma or anyone of the other thousands of causes.  Additionally, the AED is used for any and all cardiac arrests, not just the heart attacks.

5)  Can you give 1 heart healthy tip for the readers

I’ll give you two.  Diet and exercise, diet and exercise, diet and exercise……did I mention diet and exercise?  Your body will treat you the same way your treat it.  Common causes of high blood pressure (hypertension) and high cholesterol (hyperlipidemia) are eating poorly and lack of exercise, and not coincidently, common causes of heart attack and stroke is hypertension and hyperlipidemia, it’s a vicious cycle that can be broken by a few simple life style changes.

We had question come in via Facebook, and we thought it was such a great question that it needed to be noted here.

Vanessa Montes asked: One time my neighbor had an accident, he slipped on his title floor. His son panicked n knocked on my door to help n if I knew CPR. I called 911. At that time I was CPR certified but when I actually saw the neighbor on the floor, his face covered in blood I panicked too. Blood scares me and wasn’t sure what to do, if I should clean it or get a ziploc bag cut the tip n use as a protector. He was also on his belly and wasn’t sure if flipping him over was proper. Luckily 911 arrived quick and took care of it. What would have been the proper way to handle this? And what tips can you suggest for peeps that can’t handle open wounds? BTW, the neighbor broke his cheeks bones but he’s alive n back to normal

Jason Birn:  Great question. Many people are in your situation and are uncomfortable around blood. We are conditioned to associate blood with communicable diseases, and for good reason. A plastic bag really isn’t an option, but cleaning the area may be, but first always check your CABs – circulation, airway and breathing. The problem may lie is something simple like just opening the airway. Remember, your health and safety always comes first, and never jeopardize that. In certain situations it is acceptable to only perform chest compressions and this may be one of those situations. As far as being uncomfortable around blood, you have to be strong, you may be the only one around in an uncomfortable situation and someone may be in need of your help.

We’ve always been told to brush our teeth, floss regularly and get regular dental check ups. For many of us, our hope for good dental health is that we stay out of the dentist’s chair listening to the hum of a drill. But there are much greater implications to maintaining a healthy mouth that go far beyond having a winning smile.

 
Many believe that proper dental care keeps your teeth strong, white and healthy, but only that. The truth is that proper brushing, flossing and regular visits to the dentist can not only keep your teeth strong, but also seriously reduce the risk of illnesses such as cancer, heart disease and stroke.

Neglect your gums and pearly whites, and heart problems, diabetes and even erectile dysfunction may not be far behind.
What’s the link? If you don’t regularly brush and floss, tartar builds up on your teeth and irritates your gums. This bacteria-loving tartar turns to plaque, triggering body wide inflammation. Next, LDL cholesterol-related plaque builds up in your arteries. From there, it’s double the chance of heart disease. Recent research published in the British Medical Journal found that people who brush their teeth less often have a 70% increased risk of heart disease than those who have good oral hygiene at least twice a day.
So it turns out that you are not only helping fight gum disease and bad breathe, but you are also helping reduce the risk of heart disease and the chance for stroke.

Here is a quick video of founder of OneBeat CPR Lon Rosen giving a quick tip in case you ever walk into a situation and you find a person unconscious

CPR Tip of the week from OneBeatCPR on Vimeo.

There is a nasty rumor that has been talked about a lot, and brought up to us all the time, and the rumor is this; if you were to see a person who was in need of CPR, and you came to the rescue, but despite your best efforts, the person either dies or is injured in the process of being rescued you would be held responsible. To put your worried mind at ease, we have The Good Samaritan law, which is a law that protects those who choose to serve and tend to others who are injured, ill, in peril, or otherwise incapacitated. The point of that is to make sure no legal action would be taken against the person who is trying to help, even in the case of death or injury. The exact quote from the Florida Health Law is

“Any person, including those licensed to practice medicine, who gratuitously and in good faith renders emergency care or  treatment to an injured personl at the scene of an emergency on or adjacent to a roadway shall not be held liable for any civil damages as a result of such care or treatment or as a result of any act or failure to act in providing or arranging further  medical treatment where the person acts as an ordinary reasonably prudent person would have acted under the same or  similar circumstances.”

Every state believes that there is nothing more important than the safety of the individual, and it is a public concern to help and aid an individual who is in danger of loosing their life.
So the moral of this story is, even though we live in a time where someone who breaks into your home can sue you for stabbing them, don’t worry about the legal actions of giving aid to someone who is in a life or death situation. If you know CPR and you see someone in need of help, use your training. If you don’t know CPR, come to a OneBeat CPR training course and be prepared on how to give a life saving technique.