New CPR Guidelines

Hey folks - how many of you out in the Internet land know how to do CPR? Of course, you may say, but I don't leave the house - I'm on the computer all day long. ;-) But seriously, everyone should know how to do CPR. It's an amazing feeling knowing that you can possibly save a life just because you know what to do if someone's heart decides to stop.

When I taught first aid (many!) years ago, I used to say that I thought CPR should be taught in the high schools and be a requirement for graduation. But many people get the heeby-jeebies thinking about doing artificial respiration. I can't say I blame them.

Although I've done CPR more times than I can remember in the hospital situation, it was nothing compared to the one time I did it on the street. I have to say I didn't quite enjoy the AR part of the whole thing. Luckily, the breathing part is no longer an important part of the recommended CPR. In fact, it's been eliminated from the on-the-street recommendations.

In the "old" days, the thing to remember was ABC: Airway, Breathing, Circulation. Now, we just care about getting that circulation going. You just get to work pumping the heart. How fast? This is where being a BeeGees fan comes in. Believe it or not, the experts have found that the ideal compression rate for CPR is if the compressions are done to the beat of Staying Alive. How ironic is that?

Anyway, you can go to the American Heart Association to learn more about the new way to do CPR and who knows - maybe one day, you may save a life.