Using your Skills as a healthcare provider when acting as a bystander.
This information is also relavant for anyone who is certified in basic CPR.
(Updated October 10th, 2024)
Compressions only CPR is an effective way for bystanders to save an adult who is a victim of SCA (Sudden Cardiac Arrest), but many situations listed below, also require giving rescue breaths.THIS is a scary thing for most people when it comes to considerig giving mouth to mouth for a stranger when an airway device is not available.
When acting as a bystander if you are certified in CPR, or BLS, that does not mandate that you have to give mouth to mouth for a strange. However, in situations when a person is hypoxic with dangerously low concentrations of oxygen in their blood stream it would be important to consider when it comes to savIng a persons life.
Remember, Hands-Only™ CPR is only effective for a witnessed SCA for an adult, or teen.
Medical Providers will always have airway devices readily available in Medical settings, so they can safely administer breaths to a person who stops breathing. When medical professionals leave the work setting they are now considered bystanders, and are also good Samaritans, like flea rescuers. Both medical professionals, and lay-rescuers who are BLS, and CPR certified have to stay safe with the use of a barrier device, and gloves. PPE(Personal Protective Equipment), of course, is essential both on, and off the job.
The American Heart Association (AHA) emphasizes that mouth-to-mouth breathing is just for friends and family, so when you are using your CPR skills as a Bystander, Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) like a pocket mask with a one-way valve won’t become available until the AED arrives several minutes after a person stops breathing. How do you proceed without potentially exposing yourself to something scary. Fear of contracting COVID-19 is just one more possible deterrent from someone initiating CPR in public, along with hepatitis, influenza, Ebola(just kidding, hopefully) Neisseria meningitidis, gastrointestinal pathogens (Salmonella, Shigella),herpes, MERCA, and many more. Although the risk is always there, many of these diseases would be most prevalent with hospitalized patients only.
hands only CPR is not effective in the following situations:
– Children and Infants
– Drowning victims
– Unresponsive choking victims
– Drug overdose
– Smoke inhalation
– Head injury that stops breathing
– An Unwitnessed Cardiac arrest
Note: Mouth-to-mouth breathing is intended for friends and family. Barrier devices should always be considered for strangers. A “really” Good Samaritan would sometimes consider that the benefits of giving a person life-saving breaths far outweighs the risk.
Providing Hands OnlyTM CPR is the safest and most effective way to help save an Adult, but it is only effective for a Witnessed Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA). Please see our article on Hands OnlyTM CPR.
For me personally, if I am at the beach, or a pool and a person drown next to me I would give them mouth-to-mouth rescue breaths, since that could have been me lying there! Every person has a different level of comfort when it comes to giving life-saving breaths to a stranger. Getting vaccinated for Covid might alleviate some of your fear, however new variants may add more apprehension to giving breaths.
As a reward for coming to Revive CPR in San Francisco for your next CPR class, or BLS class we include a rescue keychain, mouth barrier device with every CPR certification we offer (a $10 value).
In medical settings, the Bag Valve Mask (BVM) is the safest and most efficient way to deliver breaths, but we certainly won’t have a BVM, or even a pocket mask when wearing a bathing suit at the beach, or pool. Unfortunately, the pocket mask or rescue keychain does not protect us from viruses.
For this reason Hands OnlyTM CPR could be utilized in all situations listed above as an alternative until EMTs arrive with a Bag Valve Mask.
:
Roy Gordon, EMT/ AHA CPR Instructor
Revive CPR 148 Townsend St., San Francisco, CA 94107
Learn more about our American Heart Association CPR classes in San Francisco and how to save-a-life performing high quality CPR!
Hands-OnlyTM CPR is a Trademark of the American heart Association
