Tuesday, February 13, 2007

Happy Valentine's Day! Think Hearty


OK, people want Valentine's Day posts so hear goes.

While everybody was out buying candy and flowers and cards I celebrated Valentine's Day in a slightly different way---I got recertified in CPR.

Yes I know, how romantic!

But think about it---what better way to show someone you care than to be prepared to save their life? According to what our CPR instructor said, most CPR is done on people we know---family members, friends or co-workers.

And yes, re-training is necessary. I was pretty surprised by what they're teaching now. It's changed quite a bit just in the past year. The Red Cross and the American Heart Association have simplified the resuscitation guidelines quite a bit and it's a lot easier to learn now. All those complicated ratios about compressions-to-rescue breaths for the adult, child and infant have been boiled down to one simple rule: 30 compressions to 2 breaths for all. And no more finger sweeping of throats---if someone is an unconscious choking victim you go right to CPR. Of course, much of the emphasis now is on automatic external defibrillator training. If you've never had a chance to try this you really should---it's kind of a hoot. The little machine talks in its little machine voice and tells you what to do step by step. (My little geeky imagination can't help fantasizing about things you could reprogram that machine to say, but I digress.)

And while we're on the topic of hearts, in honor of WoodburyMomAndPop I'd like to remind everyone that February is Women's Heart Health month. Go the the American Heart Association web site here and check out your numbers---the first step to prevention is to know your risk factors.

And Woodbury, you make a great TV talking head. I may eventually get used to seeing you in makeup.

5 comments:

Midwife with a Knife said...

Funny story: While I was lying on the pavement un- or semi-conscious (I vote semi-conscious, the people I was with vote unconscious) after slipping and hitting my head on the concrete (but before signing out of the ambluance AMA), someone ran up and yelled, "MY FRIEND KNOWS CPR!!". While I didn't need CPR, don't remember the incident, and I'm grateful that my friends (other obstetricians) defended me from the dogooder, in a way it was heartwarming that a perfect stranger would want to save my life. (Now if only a perfect stranger would tell me how to get rid of this darn headache!)

So... what was my point? Oh yeah:

Save lives everybody!

SEAMONKEY said...

My beloved T already knows CPR, so I expect chocolate. Hear that, T? Chocolate!- and the good stuff too, none of that milk-'chocolate' drek.

Dinah said...

You have a much better attitude about CPR recertification than I do. Please do bring your defibrillator to all our podcasting sessions,you never know.
Happy Valentine's Day, Clink & Roy.
Thanks for being my friends.

Sarebear said...

I haven't had a CPR class in far too long. W/ my dad just turning 70, and heart problems and death from such being common among the men in his family, especially at those ages . . . well, I think it'd be prudent. Even without that, it's good for everybody to know. I'm glad they've simplified it; makes it easier to remember.

I'll make it a goal to take a CPR course this year.

Patient Anonymous said...

Wow...that's freaky. I was doing the exact same thing! Getting re-certified in my First Aid/CPR on the same day!

Cheers!
PA