bystander cpr

A few decades ago, we all sniggered at the media epithet “the kiss of life”, meaning wrapping your lips around some unconscious person and breathing for them, by blowing air into their lungs. I’ve done it, at need, and once had a mouthful of vomit from the victim to contend with. Kids these days… they don’t know what first aid is! (poor attempt at the Monty Python, “Four Yorkshiremen” joke). More technically, this have-a-go first aid rescue technique is called “bystander CPR” and it has saved many lives [CPR = cardio-pulmonary resuscitation]. But what’s emerged is that you don’t need the slobbering kiss part; just compressing the chest regularly works the lungs quite sufficiently. I published this back in 2009 in an earlier “Letter From Serendipity” here: http://www.letterfromserendipity.com/serendipity19.htm#CPR In fact, more people survive without the mouth-to-mouth part. That’s probably telling us that forcing the heart to pump is far more important to survival than getting oxygen into the lungs.

A few decades ago, we all sniggered at the media epithet “the kiss of life”, meaning wrapping your lips around some unconscious person and breathing for them, by blowing air into their lungs. I’ve done it, at need, and once had a mouthful of vomit from the victim to contend with. Kids these days… they don’t know what first aid is! (poor attempt at the Monty Python, “Four Yorkshiremen” joke). More technically, this have-a-go first aid rescue technique is called “bystander CPR” and it has saved many lives [CPR = cardio-pulmonary resuscitation]. But what’s emerged is that you don’t need the slobbering kiss part; just compressing the chest regularly works the lungs quite sufficiently. I published this back in 2009 in an earlier “Letter From Serendipity” here: http://www.letterfromserendipity.com/serendipity19.htm#CPR In fact, more people survive without the mouth-to-mouth part. That’s probably telling us that forcing the heart to pump is far more important to survival than getting oxygen into the lungs.