Another feather in my cap...

[Atlaua]

Well I'm now offically a DAN BLSPro instructor.

[nauifins73]

Congratulations!!! What all does that include?

[Atlaua]

It's basicly CPR & First Aid but it covers the things that doesn't teach anymore, like bag valve masks, O2 assisted resccue breathing and 2 person CPR. It also offers full coverage of children and infants.

[do it easy]

Great job. The course sounds pretty much complete- all you need is the ambulance with the blinky blinky lights. I've often thought that the DAN courses have much more information than other classes, but the acronyms are tough to decypher.

[Atlaua]

but the acronyms are tough to decypher.

In this case it's Basic Life Support for Professionals.

[MgicTwnger]

Congrats, James.

[reefraff]

Congrats.

On a very tangental line, were there any conversations about lay CPR and the chest compression/rescue breathing rates? As of this month, AHA has gone to 100 compressions per minute (all victims except newborns) and has cut way back on the rescue breathing; supposedly the ARC is pondering the same changes...big changes.

[Atlaua]

Congrats.

On a very tangental line, were there any conversations about lay CPR and the chest compression/rescue breathing rates? As of this month, AHA has gone to 100 compressions per minute (all victims except newborns) and has cut way back on the rescue breathing; supposedly the ARC is pondering the same changes...big changes.

No, it will take the agencies a while to catch up if they decide to follow the new guidlines. This course is about a year old so it did say 100cpms but still does the 15:2 ratio instead of the 30:2 that was just proposed.

What I like about the new guidelines is that the get rid of the once a minute reassement. CPR doesn't bring people back, it keeps the tissues oxygenated until the heart can be defibd, so it's a waste of time to reassess.

This is basicly a full blown CRP/First Aid course (but I found out today that PADI doesn't recognize it because it doesn't cover splinting, blah).

The new stuff I got from it was:

BVM (already had this from AO2 but it's not in basic CPR/First Aid).
Unconsious choking victim.
Suctioning.
Cricoid Pressure.
Two Person CPR.

I found the two person CPR a little disappointing as it was just 1 person CPR with two people. I've had a little unofficial 2 person CPR training and from what I understand there should really be no pause in chest compressions, though this class had them.

I'm going to fire off an email to Jeff Myers (the DAN training director) tomorrow. I'd like to see them add splinting (oh and illness assessment) to make PADI happy. If they did that I think I could convice my LDS to replace EFR with this course (there is already an interest in having the shop's pro's take the course and replacing the O2 with DEMP). The theorist in me is convinced that they were left out on purpose in an agreement between PADI and DAN not to compete with EFR.

What I think is really missing from this is the use of airways and stethoscopes. Both are included in any good trama kit and the latter would be invaluable IMHO since a weak pulse is so hard to detect.

James

James

[SLIM]

Airways--have seen to many of them cause more damage then to help. If you do not keep up or use them much, it is easy to casue greater problems. Have never had a need to use a stehascope to detect a pulse. Tha is why you feel for it. If you do not feel it then you are not doing good compresions or do not have on. Do you what to lsten for? You could have the heart beating in a bad rythm but not have a pulse. How do you detect the differnace. Why not just go on and get trained in intabation and IV's? Remmber that they can only do the basics, and as time has goine on, you can see how they add a litel at a time. I am waiting to se the AHA change back to the older standerds. Through my 20 years in EMS I have seen them change back and forth many times. Even if you do get trained in some BLS care and you are a shop empoyee then you are kind of considered a profesional. That gets into medical protocalls and that is anopther big issue for later.

SLIM

[Atlaua]

Airways--have seen to many of them cause more damage then to help. If you do not keep up or use them much, it is easy to casue greater problems. Have never had a need to use a stehascope to detect a pulse. Tha is why you feel for it. If you do not feel it then you are not doing good compresions or do not have on. Do you what to lsten for? You could have the heart beating in a bad rythm but not have a pulse. How do you detect the differnace. Why not just go on and get trained in intabation and IV's? Remmber that they can only do the basics, and as time has goine on, you can see how they add a litel at a time. I am waiting to se the AHA change back to the older standerds. Through my 20 years in EMS I have seen them change back and forth many times. Even if you do get trained in some BLS care and you are a shop empoyee then you are kind of considered a profesional. That gets into medical protocalls and that is anopther big issue for later.

SLIM

I've seen (or rather heard first hand) of cases where the presense of a nurse with a steth prevented unneccisary chest compressions. Even the nurse could not find the pulse without it.

Full EMS training is actually on my TODO list, but time and $$$$ keep putting it off.

James

[reefraff]

Effective chest compressions combined with effective rescue breathing creates a lot of pressure in the chest cavity, which can lead to a number of "negative outcomes." AGE induced by CPR, what an epitaph.

My guess? Within the next five years the rescue breathing portion of CPR will be done away with. It's not particularly effective at oxygenating the blood and if chest compressions are being done properly (fast & deep, with time for the chest wall to rebound, approximately 100 strokes per minute) the minor benefit is fully offset by the loss of circulation caused by stopping the compressions.

As to DAN and PADI conspiring to divvy up the rescue certification - without wanting to sound like one of the tinfoil hat crowd, I guess I've just always assumed it to be so. For two groups that decry the lack of attention given to the "special" needs of the dive community, it seems like they work pretty hard at not providing a comprehensive course.

[Atlaua]

FYI, I talked to EFR today. Instructors may teach either method (the current printed or new AHA guildlines) at their discression. New materials should be available in the spring.