CPR

OK, I'll come out and admit the blushingly obvious: the above screenshot reveals which chest I chose. But I shouldn't feel guilty, right? I've just learned how to give hands-only CPR!

The American Heart Association's "Hands-Only CPR" campaign is officially in full-force. After issuing new guidelines in October 2010 that, in adults, rapid chest compressions without rescue breathing is the way to go, it threw a lot of weight behind its hands-only campaign, which boasts press releases, catchy YouTube videos, an app, and so on.

According to the new guidelines, a bystander should compress … Read more

When a 54-year-old man collapsed outside a grocery store on a cold winter's night in rural Minnesota recently, a bystander and a trained first responder who happened to be nearby came together to administer CPR.

Five minutes later, paramedics arrived, continued the CPR, and over the course of the next half-hour delivered six defibrillation shocks.

Then a Mayo Clinic flight crew arrived by helicopter, and they proceeded to administer advanced CPR on the still-pulseless patient. After delivering a total of 11 shocks, the team still couldn't get a pulse, so they upped the drugs, did CPR for two more minutes, and delivered the final, twelfth shock.… Read more

"Biology gives us about 10 minutes to survive if our heart stops beating," said Richard Price, chief of the San Ramon Valley Fire Protection District. "We have a goal or arriving within seven minutes which is pretty close to that 10 minutes...We need to suspend time and that's what CPR does."

The district, which is located about 35 miles east of San Francisco, is updating an app called "Fire Department," which will now be used to alert CPR-trained citizens in the event of a nearby cardiac emergency. The idea, according to Price, … Read more

On a whim last week, head high school basketball coach Eric Cooper Sr. downloaded a $1.99 iPhone app called Phone Aid to brush up on his CPR skills. His timing couldn't have been better.

During team practice the very next day at La Verne Lutheran High School in California, 17-year-old star center Xavier Jones stumbled while trying to receive a pass and collapsed on the court, his heart having stopped, reports the Los Angeles Times.

With CPR tips from his new mobile app fresh in his mind, Coach Cooper, with the help of Assistant Coach John Osorno, was … Read more

I'm not a pet owner anymore (it's a long and painful story; please don't ask!), but as I have written about a First Aid app for humans, it's only fair I write about one designed with animals in mind. (OK, I admit it, secretly I also want to make sure I remain on PETA's favorite list).

The app's name is (you guessed it!) Pet First Aid. It works with both the iPhone and iPod Touch and is a product of PetTech of Vacaville and JiveMedia (which is the same company that wrote the First … Read more

You're obviously incredibly fortunate if you are helped in a life-or-death situation, but being on the giving end of such emergencies is very satisfying, too. Now, with Pocket First Aid & CPR, you can make sure to be ready the next time you are called upon to save someone.

Pocket First Aid & CPR was created by the American Heart Association in collaboration with Jive Media.

It's is a 65MB application (so make sure you install it via iTunes or a Wi-Fi connection) that features hundreds of pages of text and illustrations, with topics ranging from CPR and … Read more

It's not the most portable of first-aid kits (like the CPR flashlight), but this frisbee-looking plate has only your best interests at heart--literally.

I've a keen interest in such life-saving devices particularly since an ex-boss died of a heart attack at home right after an evening run and an acquaintance recently suffered fatal cardiac arrest. Could they have been saved? Some say it's all in the hands of fate, but with a gizmo like this, fate could just be thwarted because even someone with no cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) training can administer crucial first aid on the spot. … Read more

Coincidentally, I came across this item after sounding out our HR department on the possibility of a cardiopulmonary resuscitation course for the office. The Talking CPR Flashlight may sound ridiculous, but you may not feel that way about it in the midst of an emergency.

This $36 device will voice step-by-step instructions in a (very importantly) calm, cool female voice. There's even a pause button in case you're too overwrought to listen carefully. That said, there's still nothing like a proper CPR course to complement this portable helpmate. Back to HR.

(Source: Crave Asia)