http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-16222183

I presume if you have been trained that you still do what you were trained to (even if as in my case the qualifications are now out of date)?

Did my refresher course 6 months ago, the trainer siad this was coming in.

I was last trained to use both methods depending – and that was a couple of years ago

I like that you have to do compressions to the beat of “Staying Alive” 😀

They like to change it every year to keep us on our toes. 😀
It’s not really news this, last couple of updates I’ve had we’ve been told mouth to mouth is now “optional”.
As the article states, its to stop the idea of mouth to mouth putting people off doing CPR at all.
It’s chest compressions until the defib arrives that keeps people alive.

I was trained that the compressions are more important than the breathing and if you could do nothing else, do compressions. Theory being that there’s lots of unused oxygen in blood, and by compressing the chest you’ll cycle a bit of air in and out of the lungs anyway.

I was also trained that anything is better than nothing, because if you get to a person who needs CPR (i.e. no pulse or breathing) then that person is essentially dead anyway, and you can’t make them any worse. There’s a good chance that you can make them better though.

Perfusion, that’s what it’s all about.

I like that you have to do compressions to the beat of “Staying Alive”

We were taught to do it to the beat of “Nellie the Elephant”. 😉
Yeah, every time I’ve done my refresher course it’s changed. Went from being 10 breaths/10 compressions to 2/15 and now just compressions.

Something to do with there not really being much of a need to get more oxygen into the blood than is already there for a few minutes.

So long as they start using a bit of common sense at the 999 dispatch too. Know of a couple of cases recently where folk have discovered dead friends or relatives, called 999 and had been bullied into trying CPR although it was hours after death and rigor mortis was well on. Caused a lot of upset.

Resus? They’re monkey’s aren’t they?

I don’t agree, I’m Resus Negative.

Yes, I’m glad I didn’t let the control room bully me midlifecrisis. I don’t think it would have been good for my mental state.

I was taught that the “kiss of life” was called EAR (exhaled air resuscitation) and that CPR is the chest compressions bit (cardio pulmonary resuscitation). Is that right or does CPR require the breaths as well?

Well the pulmonary bit is the lungs, so that requires breaths.

Does poking at the inert body with your foot from as far away as possible do any good?

Ihave been taught
precordial thump, rescue breath, 4:1
No thump,rescue breath, 8:2
No thump, no rescue breath 15:2
two person reusus both just go flat out breathing and compressions no particular fythem adn now just compressions

Told to count, told to use nellie the elephant and now I have staying alive stuck in my head

precordial thump

Showing your age there TJ
They were just going out of fashion when I qualified.

I don’t remember what I was taught, time I went on a refresher. I do remember being told “with breathing, anything is better than nothing and compressions only if you’ve no other choice”. Incidentally we were taught not to bother with breaths if the person had signs of vomiting or blood in their mouth (more for our safety than theirs). Thing is, I’ve heard so many different options from people going on different courses it’s hard to know what’s right. I think the latest “no breathing” option complicates life more, as people now EXPECT to have to do it and multiple people attending a scene will be in conflict surely?

Incidentally we were taught not to bother with breaths if the person had signs of vomiting or blood in their mouth

That’s why I stick to “poking at the inert body with your foot from as far away as possible”.

Most important thing i learnt was always cover the mouth with a hankie, as if the person is sick, or got food in his mouth its going to come back into yours, not nice.

can’t stand the beegees I’d rather watch someone die, than have that falsetto filth stuck in my head

or I may just stick with songs about elephants as i was trained to do 😀

Showing your age there TJ
They were just going out of fashion when I qualified.

I also remember the thumps – but then I’m not only old, I first did resus aged 12 or 13.

The other acronym has come back to me – CPR is both, but ECC stands for External Cardiac Compression.