How to Perform CPR

Chip Meyers: Hi I am Chip Meyers, a paramedic with the Alexandria Fire Department, in Alexandria, Virginia. Today we are going to talk about CPR or Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation. This is one of the most useful skills that you can use to save somebodys life. So what do you say, lets go to the classroom and get started. The different parts of CPR that we are going to be discussing are foreign body airway obstruction in a conscious person also known as the Heimlich Maneuver, what to do if you have an airway obstruction in an unconscious person. We are going to talk about CPR in any adults and we are going to talk about the Automated External Defibrillator. The only tools you are going to need for this are, perhaps a pocket mask, if you feel uncomfortable about putting your mouth on somebody elses mouth. You can get most of these at a pharmacy or some place like that. An Automated External Defibrillator, which are often found in public places such as malls, the airport, at the sporting events, at some of the arenas. Any place where there is a mass gathering you might find an Automated External Defibrillator. The only other tools you going to need are your hands and your head. We are going to talk a little bit also about cross contamination. Can you catch a disease from CPR? A lot of people are concerned about that. To date there has never been a cross contamination from a victim to a person whose providing CPR. It hasnt been anything even a common cold so the chance is there, but it is extremely rare.

Also some people are concerned about can you be sued if you perform CPR on somebody? Many states have a thing called a Good Samaritan Law. As long as you are acting in the best interest of that person and you dont do anything that would be grossly negligent, then you are okay. You might get the sequence confused a little bit or you might do compressions a little bit off but what we have found is something is better than nothing. Before we go, let me tell you a little about me. I have been an EMS almost thirty years now. I have been a paramedic for about twenty of those years and I have been teaching CPR since 1984. So now lets get started with Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation, CPR.