Month: October 2009
Would you, without hesitation, perform CPR on a family member? A recent Associated Press-Petside.com poll detemined “that 58% of pet owners would be at least somewhat likely to perform CPR on their pet in the event of a medical emergency.” An interesting concept, don’t you think? CPR on animals is basically the same as it is on humans, it’s just the difference in size and anatomy that matters. You would still give rescue breaths and perform “chest” compressions. Many CPR instructors have included Companion Pet Resuscitation in their repertoire for pet-owners or others who care for animals. The poll also …
It seems almost weekly we are hearing more and more reports for the recent “hands-only” CPR technique. There have been several articles where the responder has used this method with success. The latest AHA addendumto their 2005 CPR Guidelines recognizes the efficacy of CCR (Chest Compression Resuscitation), or “hands-only” CPR, when applied to a witnessed collapsed victim who is non-responsive and not breathing. Several agencies have been teaching this method exclusively, while others demonstrate it in conjunction with the traditional method of CPR training. The original recommendation was for a “witnessed” collapse, where the responder knows how much time has elapsed from collapse to initiation …
Important Note: If you have a Philips Heartstart OnSite, Home, or FRx AED that is still running the older AHA Guidelines, time is running out to get your AED upgraded to the newer AHA 2005 Guidelines for CPR. Philips Healthcare will stop accepting upgrade orders for OnSite, Home, and FRx AEDs on 12/31/2009. Make sure to submit your upgrade order before this date! Philips will send an upgraded AED first and then you will send back your old AED. This will allow you to keep the defibrillator in service at all times. Follow this link to download your upgrade forms (PDFor …