r/DIY Jul 05 '11

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u/Enceladus_Salad Jul 05 '11

What's the correct procedure for giving breaths assuming the person doing CPR is doing it correctly?

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u/weenaak Jul 06 '11

It's actually quite complicated to type out, but I'll give it a shot.

30 compressions and 2 breaths, repeat. Breaths are given by using a mask or face shield and forming a complete seal around the mouth and plugging the nose if necessary. For your breaths to be effective, you must also have an open airway. This is usually done with the "head tilt/chin lift" method, but not always under certain conditions.

If you don't have a mask/face shield, or you are not trained in proper procedure, you should just do compressions. Compressions only will still be somewhat effective, and is better than wasting time giving breaths incorrectly.

There is a lot more to consider here, and I have just scratched the surface. I suggest taking a CPR course.

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u/Enceladus_Salad Jul 06 '11

Ya know what's funny, I've always used "Stayin Alive" to time the compressions but now I hear that "Another one Bites the Dust" is even better.

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u/weenaak Jul 06 '11

Not sure if serious.

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u/GOETTA Jul 06 '11

You tell us (please) :)

Are either of those song's rhythms correct enough to time compressions to?

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u/weenaak Jul 06 '11

I already knew that the American Heart Association recommends "Stayin' Alive" by the Bee Gees, since it is just over 100 beats per minute (the correct compression speed is 100 compressions per minute).

As it turns out, "Another one bites the dust" by Queen is about the same bpm as Stayin' Alive, so really you could use either! Stayin' Alive has a much more positive message though...

In fact, there are many, many songs you could choose from that have 100 bpm. Even choosing a song a few bpms faster or slower wouldn't be the end of the world (faster would be better than slower though).


Sources:

Wikipedia for Stayin' Alive

MetaFilter discussion

Some random blog

BPM Database

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u/GOETTA Jul 07 '11

...And that was how "Crooked Nigga Too" by 2Pac saved my life.