Got a good question via email today regarding the choking adult scenario. This rescuer asked if we could explain the following: “Please talk about how to give a pregnant woman chest compressions if she was choking. How would we hold her? With an infant we make sure the head is below the body. But what to do for a pregnant woman who is choking? -H____
I thought this was a good question and one that we cover in our CPR certification course. Feel free to view it below. At about 44 seconds into the training, I talk about what to do if the person has a distended abdomen that’s too large to reach around, or they are a pregnant person. I hope this helps!
I received an email a couple of weeks ago by a well known television news show. They asked if I could help them with the topic of choking and specifically on hot dogs. I liked the idea and though they didn’t need the training I put together, I thought you all might benefit from it. In producing this training, I found that kids choke 60% of the time on food! Did you also know that of that 60%, 17% of the time it’s a hot dog? I thought it would be helpful for you rescue fans so I thought I’d share it with you. In this episode we discuss why kids choke on hot dogs, how kids choke on hot dogs, how to help prevent kids from choking and what to do if it happens. Get summer safe by catching up on this latest episode of RoyonRescue right now!
In this episode of RoyOnRescue, Roy answers a question that came in via email regarding a situation where the person did the abdominal thrusts but the object did not come out to the best of their knowledge. Should they keep doing chest compressions or is there something else that can be done to get the foreign body out of the victim’s airway. Be sure to watch this episode to get the answer.
I received another email from a person asking: “What are basic first aid measures for a serious allergic reaction if there is no epi pen available? I watched your training video in your library at ProFirstAid.com but I can’t seem to find an answer.”
Thanks for your answer,
C
Thanks for the question C. I thought this was a good question and a situation which no one wants to find themselves. So I decided to reply back and include it into the RoyOnRescue.com blog response. I hope it helps.
Here’s my reply:
Dear C,
Other than immediately calling EMS/911, if at all possible, let the person rest in position of comfort.
Some of the things that are indicated for first aid providers are:
1. Watch for signs and symptoms of severe allergic reactions like difficulty breathing, itching, hives, swelling, sore throat, anxiety.
2. Remove victim from anything that would aggravate or worsen the symptoms.
3. Give supportive care like rescue breathing, CPR, shock treatment etc when indicated.
4. If at all possible, identify what it is that gave the person their serious allergic reaction and avoid any further exposure to it.
This is not a prescription but simply something that I would do. I always like to have liquid diphenhydramine(Benadryl like antihistimine) on hand that can be taken as prescribed on the container or per doctors order. If I did not have a prescription for a “rescue inhaler” like albuterol or didn’t have an allergy response kit prescribed and filled from my doctor I would really emphasize doing so, and then keeping it up to date as the epi pen and other medications could expire and be useless.
Remember, recognizing the early signs of an allergic reaction and activating EMS/911 as soon as possible is critical. Time is of the essence. Oh! And if you think you may have an allergy, or have ever had a severe allergic reaction, you should be sure to contact your medical professional and get a filled prescription for an emergency allergic reaction kit, AKA: bee sting kit.
I’m here at the 2010 American Heart Association instructor conference hosted at the McCormick Place. It was a wonderful weekend in the “Windy City” and worked out well for Jody Marvi(ProTrainings.com Compliance and Accreditation Manager) and I to attend the new guideline roll-out for BLS, ACLS, PALS and NeoNatal Resuscitation. I’m glad to announce that in the end, I don’t see any serious issues to any of the latest guidelines for resuscitation. I was afraid there was going to be some changes that were going to cause ethical issues for end of life issues but thankfully to the best of my knowledge, this didn’t materialize for 2010. So take a peek and let me know what you think of the latest ECC/ILCOR recommendations for resuscitation.
In Part 1 of Snake Bites we talked about the different kinds of poisonous snakes that pose a risk for serious danger. Remember we were talking about an Emergency Responder who who had emailed me? She helps out with California High Desert Racing and the medical response team and is having some issues with Poisonous snake bites and 35-45 minute response times. This due to being so far away from civilization. In part 1 of this response video blog, we took a look at the different types of rattlesnakes that are causing problems, how they might kill a person and how we as rescuers could make the difference between life and death. In this second part, we will get to the bottom of the correct treatment strategy in order to save a snake bite victims life and limb.
An Emergency Responder who helps out with California High Desert Races is having some issues with Poisonous Snake Bites and slow response times due to being so far away from civilization. In this response video blog, we take a look at the different types of rattlesnakes that are causing problems, how they might kill a person and how we as rescuers could make the difference between life and death.
As I reflected on yesterdays video blog; “Gasping for Life”, I thought I should expound on what real agonal respirations really are and maybe even find some examples for you to see or hear. Well, let me tell you this has turned out to be more difficult than I imagined. As I searched the internet for some medical records of what I have seen during episodes of agonal respirations all I could find was one well intentioned but non realistic version of agonal respirations while everything else was simply informational. I then began thinking about the times I had seen low blood sugar patients or postictal seizure patients and thought…I bet a good snoring respiration would be close!
After some time, I found an actual serious sleep apnea(OSA) case and thought I would include the link in the video blog for you to see. Though this is not exactly what agonal respirations look or sound like, it is a far cry closer than other replications I found and will at least get the idea across that any form of agonal or distressed drive to breath is not oxygenating the body well and should be treated with Rescue Breathing or Full CPR depending on the symptoms.
I hope this helps clear up any confusion and please let me know if you would like me to expound on anything else relating to this video blog.
A concerned Good Samaritan(G.S.) wrote me a question and I thought it would be good to share it with you on RoyOnRescue(ROR).
G.S.: “In my scenario, the person fell down hit their head twice and then fell onto the floor face down. I am now wondering if we did the right thing. We picked the person up and carried her outside for fresh air where she revived immediately. We then monitored the person but nothing else seemed to be wrong with her.”
ROR: It sounds like the story ends well regardless of the treatment given which is always great! There may be a few things that we cold improve upon for the future. Let’s analyze what happened and what we might be able to do differently next time to protect and help the fall victim even more.
Whenever a person falls, there is a risk for head and neck injury. As stated in your scenario, this particular person did hit their head… twice. This would be enough mechanism of injury that instead of moving the person right away, we would want to minimize movement while assessing the person for any signs or symptoms of other injuries. We can minimize movement by softly but confidently speaking to the patient who is either conscious or unconscious and place one hand carefully on the victims forehead to help remind them and us not to move their head and neck. Try to find out if the person is breathing on their own and if their skin color is somewhat normal while they are lying in the position found. If they are breathing and skin color is good, we do not have to move the person before Emergency Medical Services arrive.
If assessing the person’s airway is impossible in this position,(face down) we may need to carefully roll the person over onto their back even if we suspect that there may be a serious neck or back injury. We do not move spinal chord injury patients unless they need cpr, their airway is compromised or they are in danger due to the environment.
If we determine that we must roll, or move a person with a suspected spinal chord injury, utilize several people if available, in order to minimization spinal movement. If you are the only person, then do the job the best way you can and follow the “Life Over Limb” philosophy. If the person wakes and is not complaining of any pain or numbness and they don’t allow you to minimize movement because they want to get up, they should be allowed to do so. It is not wise to hold the person down as this can complicate injuries the patient already sustained trying to wrestle. Keep encouraging the person to stay still until help arrives by the ambulance service. Keep the person in a position of comfort with confident words of encouragement like, you are in good hands, I’m going to take good care of you and help is on the way. If they still refuse treatment, there is little you can do at that point other than inform 911 of what has happened.
It sounds as though you did the best you could for this person at the time. Remember, most people don’t even get involved when someone needs help. The fact that you did get involved and tried to help makes you a natural rescuer!
I thought a video clip of all different fainting episodes would not only get my point across that falls can cause injuries to the person even if the fainting spell or the reason they fell wasn’t serious. I hope you don’t feel faint watching others faint but if you want to see what happens to people when they fall from standing up, take a look at the clip below.
P.S. One of the most effective rescue moves for a person who is starting to faint, is to simply help them to the floor before they fall!
