Re-CPR-ed

I retook my CPR last saturday @ Red Cross.

It cost me $80 but i think it was a good refresher course; especially since i am still a FT with E1. And of course, a young triathlete's death brought CPR into the limelight once again.

From wikipedia,

What is CPR ?

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is an emergency medical procedure for a victim of cardiac arrest or, in some circumstances, respiratory arrest.

What is the purpose of CPR ?

CPR is unlikely to restart the heart, but rather its purpose is to maintain a flow of oxygenated blood to the brain and the heart, thereby delaying tissue death and extending the brief window of opportunity for a successful resuscitation without permanent brain damage.

And here's a post that i discovered from the Straitstime Forum: Click here

Quoting a paragraph from the article :

"Having officials being trained in First Aid and CPR is insufficient. While I am confident that these officials have undergone their training successfully, I must highlight that performing CPR on a mannequin and performing CPR in a life-threatening situation is definitely different."



Indeed, this statement is very true. It is very different when one tries to perform CPR to a mannequin and to a real person. For first timer, trying to perform CPR on a real person, might get all tense up and forget the proper procedure. This is crucial, by compressing at the wrong part of the body other than the sternum, the victim might end up with other internal injuries.

But still, with the number of cases of sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) going up, it will be beneficial for as many people as possible to take up CPR.

So next on my list, i will be doing my first aid course again in August. It costs $80 but i believe it will be worthy of my money.

How about you?

Singapore Red Cross website: http://www.redcross.org.sg/courses.htm