CPR.COM

What’s New About Hands-only CPR?

tim — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 17:55:51 +0000

When I received my CPR certification training earlier this year, our instructor described hands-only CPR as the method to use when a face shield (used for protection while giving rescue breaths) is unavailable. She said that this was a new component of the training program. It turns out that hands-only CPR is a relatively recent innovation that emphasizes moving oxygenated blood, instead of getting the victim breathing.

The reasoning behind this change is that, since oxygenated blood is still plentiful in the body during cardiac arrest, it is most critical to keep blood flow to the brain and other vital organs during the critical initial response.

The sequence for hands-only CPR is:

Call 911
Start CPR

Effect of Cardiac Arrest on the Brain

Sudden cardiac arrest instantly causes blood flow to stop, starving the brain of oxygen. Brain cells start dying in about a minute, and serious brain damage occurs after about 3-4 minutes. Except in rare instances when the victim is younger and body very cold, after 10 minutes, many brain cells have died and the victim is unlikely to recover.

Maintaining Constant Blood Flow

Proponents of CPR without rescue breathing argue that uninterrupted chest compressions maintain the constant flow of oxygenated blood that’s critical to sustaining critical organs better than traditional CPR that is interrupted by rescue breaths.

More Bystander Involvement

Studies have found bystanders are reluctant to help because they’re afraid of doing something wrong or incorrectly. A study by the American Medical Association found that the rate of bystanders attempting any type of CPR increased from 28% in 2005 to 40% in 2009, with bystanders more likely to use hands-only CPR over traditional CPR.

Hands-only CPR can be more easily done by those with limited or no training being given instruction by an emergency dispatcher, thereby increasing the likelihood that CPR will be given during critical first minutes of a cardiac arrest and improving the chance of minimal injury to the victim.

Improving the Odds of Survival

The American Heart Association says that hands-only CPR is as effective as conventional CPR in the first few minutes of an out-of-hospital sudden cardiac arrest. (Conventional CPR may still be best for infants and children, adults who are found in cardiac arrest and victims of drowning or collapse due to breathing problems.) While the AHA hasn’t changed their CPR recommendations to health providers, they are calling for more study to see if the existing recommendations can be improved.

The chances survival from cardiac arrest that occurs outside of a hospital vary from region to region but are typically very low (2-3% in New York City and Chicago). That same American Medical Association study found that 13% of victims who received hands-only CPR survived, compared with 8% who received conventional CPR.

Any new approaches that might increase bystander participation and improve these survival statistics are worth researching and learning more about. The initial information about hands-only CPR looks extremely promising.

Updated: Alternatives to the Komen Race for the Cure in the US, Canada and the UK

tim — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 18:40:11 +0000

Updated on Feb 18th: Added information about additional breast cancer and research fundraising walks and runs around the world.

The Susan G Komen for the Cure charity sponsors races around the country to raise money in the fight against breast cancer. I have sponsored a few racers and walkers myself and have donated directly to the organization in the past.

The controversy over the their organization’s recent decisions to drop, and then to resume, funding, Planned Parenthood’s breast cancer screening program has left many of those troubled by these decisions in a bind: what charitable alternatives to the Komen Race are there that raise funds for breast cancer research?

Alternative Events in the US

Charity Navigator provides a breast cancer charities guide that rates each organization on transparency, cost, and several other metric. Charity Navigator is well reviewed but doesn’t give an indication of how politicized each organization is; you’ll have to do research and figure that out on your own.

The American Cancer Society organizes the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer raises money that they say “will save lives by helping people stay well and get well, by finding cures, and by fighting back against breast cancer”.

The Avon Walk for Breast Cancer supports “research to find a cure or prevention, as well as programs that enable all patients to access quality care… including low-income, elderly and minority individuals, and those who are under-insured. Recipient-organizations differ for each fund-raising city; they all seem worthy.

The Chicago-based breast cancer research fundraising organization Y-Me holds an event every Mother’s Day. Read about it and register here.

Alternatives to Komen Outside the US

Some organizations outside the US, including the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation and the UK-based Breakthrough Breast Cancer fund, have agreements with Komen to raise funds and explore partnership possibilities that may affect your decision to fund raise on their behalf.

In Canada, the Weekend to End Women’s Cancers 1 and 2-day walk/runs events are held in the summer in Alberta (July 21-22), Montreal (August 25-26), and Toronto (Sept 8-9).

In the UK, Cancer Research UK holds Race for Life breast cancer research fundraising events throughout the United Kingdom. The distance is 5K and they encourage you to “run, job, or walk” the course.

(Photo: A Creative Commons Attribution (2.0) image from Courtney Robinson‘s photo stream)

Produce in Season in February and March

tim — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 16:49:22 +0000

Winter in the northeast means plenty of root vegetables at the market. The following vegetables and produce are in season in February and March in the Northeast US:

Carrots
Onions
Potatoes
Squash
Turnips

(Photo: USDA; Source)

CPR Keychain with Gloves and Face Shield

tim — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 10:29:49 +0000

During the class in which I took my CPR training, the instructor emphasized that, in order to be prepared to use our new skills, we needed to make sure that we each had gloves and a face shield or face guard. She recommended that we carry a set in a “CPR keychain” so that we would always would always have the tools we needed to safely perform CPR.

Gloves and a face shield are necessary to make sure that you won’t get sick while rescuing a victim. If there is blood on the scene, hypoallergenic gloves should be used to safely handle the victim. A face shield will safely allow you to apply recovery breaths while minimizing the risk to you if the victim expels fluid or saliva.

If you don’t have a face shield, you can still safely apply hands-only CPR. While my instructor indicated that compression and rescue breaths were most effective for recovery, recent studies indicate that compression alone could be as effective as compression+rescue breaths. (Remember this great hands-only CPR instructional video featuring actor Vinnie Jones? My instructor mentioned it during class, and even timed chest compressions to the “Staying Alive” beat!)

You can buy regular keychains, which include a pair of gloves and a face shield, or mini-keychains, which include just the shield.

You can buy a CPR keychain though this link at Amazon, directly from the Red Cross online store, or from another vendor (some advertise on this site). The Red Cross keychains are among the most reasonably priced at $3-4.

Japanese Coffee Enthusiast’s Hope Cafe

tim — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 04:14:26 +0000

I’m posting this not because coffee is in itself good for you, but because, in this particular instance, it’s being used to bring hope and purpose to people displaced by the tsunami in Japan.

Japanese coffee enthusiast Yoshi Masuda drives through the stricken countryside with his old 78s, gramophone, ancient hand-grinders and water kettles, making delicious single-serving cups of coffee for recovery workers and inspiring self-sufficiency and purpose to the survivors with opportunities to set up specialty coffee shops of their own.

His shop and charitable organization is called the HOPE Cafe and is run out of his bright orange VW van. According to his web site, he plans to import and market beans and tea produced in the indigenous poor of the Southern Phillipines, thereby helping to build up that economy as well.

Check out his story in Japan-based filmmaker Mackenzie Sheppard‘s “Yoshi’s Blend”.

Produce in Season in January and February

tim — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 16:46:16 +0000

Winter in the northeast means plenty of root vegetables at the market. The following vegetables and produce are in season in January and February in the Northeast US:

Cabbage
Carrots
Onions
Potatoes
Squash
Turnips

(Photo: USDA; Source)

Free CPR Training in New York City from the FDNY

tim — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 13:00:37 +0000

The Fire Department of New York offers free CPR training in New York City. The 45 minute classes, called “CPR-To Go” are held once a month at different public libraries around the city. CPR certification isn’t provided; instead the “primary goal is to raise awareness of the important of immediate action in response to sudden cardiac arrest”.

Besides invaluable knowledge that might enable you to save someone’s life, you’ll receive a CPR training kit that includes an inflatable training dummy and DVD.

Follow this link to sign up for a class.

FDNY Training at Your Location

If you have a group of 6 or more people and an open space, you can arrange a time for the FDNY to provide CPR-To Go training at your location. The location must be non-residential – a gym, cafeteria, hall or conference room – so unfortunately you can’t host CPR parties at your home.

Training at New York Sports Clubs

The FDNY used to provide CPR-To Go classes at New York Sports Clubs, however contrary to the FDNY’s own web site, that program was suspended in 2010. CPR-To Go classes are no longer held at NYSC.

Things Runners Say

tim — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 14:30:01 +0000

Continuing the theme, this funny video runs through the list of things runners say (or “Sh!t Runners Say”). Most of us runners have uttered these phrases at some point in our training.

“Jog? I run!”

What is Wellness Screening?

anthony — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 06:47:20 +0000

The last few years it would have been hard to miss the health care debate between political parties, in the press and, for some of us, between friends and family. The ever-increasing cost of health care as well as the concern with funding Medicare promises to the elderly in the future have been key drivers of the debate and led to some extreme views about rationing health care and so called “death panels”. Some studies have also estimated that retirees may each need a quarter of a million dollars for medical costs not covered by medicare. For most people, options to address this now will come down to saving more, working longer and being proactive in managing one’s health.

Consumer-driven Health Care

This brings me to something new I’ve noticed in health care plans offered at my job, and echoed by family and friends at theirs, called “wellness screenings” that is often part of a concept called consumer-driven health care. Similar in concept to the differences between defined benefit (pensions) and defined contribution (401K/IRA) retirement plans, consumer-driven health care transfers some of the burden on controlling health care costs to the consumer. This will be done by encouraging the consumer to shop around for the best price for a procedure and to have the consumer take proactive steps in preserving their health. One proactive step is to have yearly wellness screenings.

What is Wellness Screening?

At my job, wellness screening consists of a series of tests, usually taking no more than a half hour to complete, that measure key health statistics. It is not a substitute for yearly checkups with your doctor but I have found it provides me with key metrics on my health and may point to areas of improvement. It supports the adage that you must measure to manage. My recent wellness screening covered the following health related items. After defining them, I’ll list what I was provided as optimal readings for each:

Optimal Cholesterol Levels

Total Cholesterol is the total amount of cholesterol at any given time including High Density Lipoprotein (HDL) and Low Density Lipoprotein (LDL). HDL is often referred to as the “good” cholesterol as it clears the arteries and veins of fat deposits that may cause clotting. LDL is known as the “bad” cholesterol because it contributes to the buildup of plaque deposits on the artery walls (referred to as atherosclerosis).

Optimal Total Cholesterol: Less than 200 mg/ld
Optimal HDL for men: Higher than 40 mg/dl
Optimal HDL for women: Higher than 50 mg/dl
Optimal LDL: less than 100 mg/dl
Optimal TC/HDL Ratio: Less than 4.0

Sources: http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/guidelines/cholesterol/atglance.pdf

Optimal Triglyceride Level

Triglycerides are composed of fatty acids and glycerol and, a high reading, may increase the risk of heart disease. Food consumption impacts triglyceride levels.

Less than 100 mg/dl

Source: http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/guidelines/cholesterol/atglance.pdf

Optimal Glucose Levels

Elevated Glucose (Blood Sugar) levels have serious long term impact as it is an indication of pre-diabetes or diabetes. Diabetes, if untreated, can increase the risk of heart disease and cause nerve, liver and eye damage.

Less than 100 mg/dL when fasting, or less than 140 mg/dL when not fasting

Source: http://diabetes.niddk.nih.gov/dm/pubs/riskfortype2/risk.pdf

Normal Blood Pressure

Blood Pressure is the pressure of the blood against the walls of the arteries. The top number, systolic pressure, is the pressure in the arteries as the heart contracts. The bottom number, diastolic pressure, is the pressure in the arterial walls when the heart is resting between beats. High blood pressure makes the heart work harder than normal and increases the risk of heart attacks, strokes and kidney failure.

Systolic – less than 120; Diastolic – less than 80

Source: http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/guidelines/hypertension/express.pdf

Normal BMI

BMI (Body Mass Index) is determined using a mathematical formula applied to weight and height and is one measure to indicate if a person is normal, underweight or overweight. It is one of many indicators that can help determine the risk of developing a chronic disease such as heart disease or diabetes.

18.5 – 24.9 kg/m²

Source: http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/guidelines/obesity/ob_gdlns.pdf

Recommended Body Fact Percentages

Since the body is composed of fat and lean mass, the body fat percentage indicates how much of total weight comes from fat as opposed to lean mass. Lean mass is the weight of all bones, organs, muscles and fluids. A percentage above optimal may indicate a risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, or other chronic health problems.

Age-adjusted Body Fat Percentage Recommendation for Men

Age	Under Weight	Healthy Range	Overweight	Obese
20-40 yrs	Under 8%	8 – 19%	19.1 – 25%	Over 25%
41-60 yrs	Under 11%	11 – 22%	22.1 – 27%	Over 27%
61-79 yrs	Under 13%	13 – 25%	25.1 – 30%	Over 30%

Age-adjusted Body Fat Percentage Recommendation for Women

Age	Under Weight	Healthy Range	Overweight	Obese
20-40 yrs	Under 21%	21 – 33%	33.1 – 39%	Over 39%
41-60 yrs	Under 23%	23 – 35%	35.1 – 40%	Over 40%
61-79 yrs	Under 24%	24 – 36%	36.1 – 42%	Over 42%

Source: Gallagher et al. Am J Clin Nut 2000; 72-694-701 – http://www.ajcn.org/content/72/3/694.long

Sharing Articles to Pinterest

tim — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 19:06:11 +0000

I updated both this website and Chemical Cake to support sharing articles to Pinterest. Pinterest is a virtual pinboard you can easily share links on. The site is image based, so unlike Tumblr, where one can post simple text as well, shared links must have an associated graphic. I find this limiting, since not every item I publish or share includes an image.

I'm inundated by jewelry, handbags and makeup on Pinterest

I’m not sure what Google thinks about the quality of links on Pinterest, but it’s easy to use, post to, and find interesting articles.

The people I’m following (mostly friends) must be really into homemade jewelry though, because lately my page there has been overwhelmed with baubles from Etsy.