O2 enhanced rescue breathing

[Al Mialkovsky]

Women? Is that what they call it now?

I am pretty darn sure they were all women. If I had to bet, I'd say yes.

 

[HowardE]

I am pretty darn sure they were all women. If I had to bet, I'd say yes.

phew...

(not that there's anything wrong with that)

 

[dherbman]

phew...

(not that there's anything wrong with that)

There is when I have to share a locker with him.

 

[Wildcard]

we talked about the purge, second stage method once. the pressure not sufficient in a non-breathing victim to inflate the lungs. Ash (er doc) posted this.

I think there is more than enough pressure to inflate the lungs. I wonder if this is study based or just one persons opinion? Id like to see somehow what the real presssure increase is. The problem is it will most likely inflate the epigastrum and not the lungs. Using an Ambu bag with a non intubated Pt yeilds the same results almost every time, a belly full of air. Manual airways are all but impossable to maintain.
Unless you have a barrier mask with a suplemental 02 port, don't even mess with it, it will cause more problems and liability than it's wirth.

 

[SDAnderson]

Is there any reason why a person performing rescue breathing would not want to breath pure O2 or even EAN while doing rescue breathing? It would seem that it would benefit the person performing the rescue breathing as well as the victim.

Speaking as someone who has been teaching First Aid & CPR to lay and professional rescuers more than 30 years...

KISS is one of the guiding principles of lay rescue. Studies have repeatedly shown that simpler = better when it comes to rescue training and anything that makes a rescue more complex is a VERY bad thing for a lay rescuer. Rescue breathing makes the job harder and tends to discombobulate the rescuer and adding O2 to the rescue scenario - either for the rescuer of the victim - makes things more complex. Thus, it is not taught in standard rescue courses.

Oxygen can be extremely beneficial for the victim in some situations (particularly scuba-related injuries) but requires another level of training above the standard lay rescue courses. Without that training (and maybe even with it) you run a substantial risk of reducing the effectiveness of any rescue attempt rather than improving it.

DAN offers a course for the use of O2 in dive-related situations for lay rescuers. This class does not cover using O2 on the general population but it's still a great class for divers to take. Neither the Red Cross, the Heart Association, Medic First Aid, Emergency First Response, or Divers Alert Network offer O2 training to lay rescuers for use on the general population - a fairly solid concensus that it isn't a good idea.

As to any benefits to the rescuer, attempting to overcome aerobic limits by taking oxygen is no replacement for being in good condition. If you're worried about the physical challenge of performing a rescue, a better solution than self-medicating with O2 during a rescue would be to take a walk every day.

 

[Al Mialkovsky]

There is when I have to share a locker with him.

I didn't mind sharing a locker with you. I wasn't thrilled about sharing a shower though.

 

[dherbman]

The shower would have been tolerable if you hadn't asked me to wash your back.

 

[Al Mialkovsky]

The shower would have been tolerable if you hadn't asked me to wash your back.

I said WAX my back silly

 

[Cacia]

Ya'll are acting up again. remember yesterday? Do you want to get the WHOLE class in trouble?

 

[dherbman]

I'd wash your back, Catherine.