Continuous Compression CPR

I used to travel by air regularly as a company owner.I spent a lot of time in airports and once, in the early 1980's, I was in Chicago's O'Hare Airport, waiting for a flight. As the line moved forward, at the gate, I noticed a man laying on the carpet, behind the gate attendant, and what was worse, everyone was ignoring him.

I asked the gate attendant what was wrong with the man on the floor. She said that he appears to have had a heart attack. I asked, "why aren't you helping him?" She said, "Paramedics had been called and they will help him." I did not know how to perform CPR. Unfortunately, as with most people, we relied on a few other brave souls.

Within a few minutes, one of these brave souls noticed the man and began preparing him for CPR. He asked if anyone had a "bag." In the early 80's, there was fear, that contact with another person's blood could give you Aids. The drug industry had created some products that you could use to protect yourself while giving another person mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. ("Bag"). The problem was, no one had a "bag." So a woman removed her slip, and handed it to him. He immediately began CPR, which included chest compressions followed by a breath into the man's mouth. The first time he did that, the slip showed a perfect circle of blood where his mouth had been.
The man saw that, hesitated, and then restarted the process until the paramedics arrived. Brave soul.  I left Chicago that day, wondering if the heart attack victim had survived, and if the brave soul had gotten Aids.

With Continuous Compression CPR, we now all have a new tool, that we can use, without training and without fear of killing ourselves to save someone else's life.

More than 300 000 persons die of sudden cardiac arrest each year. Someone in cardiac arrest has very little chance of survival unless you, the bystander, take immediate action to sustain them until the paramedics arrive.

Cardiac arrest is a condition in which the heart abruptly stops pumping blood, for whatever reason. The heart goes from a regular heartbeat to a random twitching, called ventricular fibrillation. When the heart is twitching blood is not moving through the body, so the patient passes out.

Do not waste time trying to find a pulse. Address the person in a loud voice. If there is no response, shake the person to check if they are unconscious. If there is no response, assess the breathing: Is it normal or abnormal? Abnormal breathing means either no breathing at all or intermittent gasping. If you witness a person suddenly collapse for no apparent reason and that person is unresponsive and not breathing normally, you should assume this as cardiac arrest.

Call 911, and then immediately start chest compressions and continue until the paramedics arrive.  When you leave, you will know that the victim certainly had a better chance of surviving, and the person helping, would certainly also survive.

Here's a nice outing - Give Blood

Every few months I give blood. It is an easy way to help someone without even knowing them. It is a nice outing for you and your spouse, or a friend. It will only take an hour out of your life and it might just save someone else's.

You can donate blood if you are 17 or older, weigh at least 110 pounds and are in good health. If you are taking prescription medications, it doesn’t necessarily disqualify you. Call ahead and ask if you are concerned. It takes less than an hour to donate blood, from the time you arrive to the time you leave.

• Follow your usual diet and meal schedule before coming to donate.

• You’ll need photo identification and they will ask you medical history questions.

• You get a mini-physical. They measure your blood pressure, pulse, temperature and red blood cell level.

• Once you have registered and your eligibility determined, they will take a quart of your blood. It’s a simple procedure that lasts approximately five to seven minutes. Resume regular activities afterward.
• You may return in eight weeks to donate again.

The people who take your blood are always nice. They make it fun, and they , of course, have to endure all the 'blood' jokes. "take it all, I will be a quart low after this, why is his blood blue, how come you smile when you stick me with that needle? " I cannot imagine how many times they hear the same jokes in an eight hour shift.

The people who give blood seem to be as nice. Why not, they get free orange juice, a very comfortable chair, a nice environment and other victims close by sharing the same experience.

One final thing, it does not matter what blood type you are. I thought they didn't need my A positive blood, because they could get it anywhere. But the nurse taking my blood said that more people had my type, so naturally more was needed. You don't need rare blood to help, just red blood and a big smile.