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Hebs
26-10-2010, 11:56 AM
We've just had a visit from north east ambulance service and aparently if your first aid certificate was gained before may this year its now invalid as we are no longer allowed to do breaths??

Has anyone heard this?

Ripeberry
26-10-2010, 11:59 AM
You what? First I've heard of it :mad: That's so silly, what are we supposed to do wait for the amulance and let the poor person die? Better not be health and safety gone mad again :(

Andrea08
26-10-2010, 12:00 PM
no hun on my last training this was mentioned and you can still do breaths but if you dont want to as long as you keep airway open n clear continue with compressions,

your certificate is still valid for the 3ys as 1st aid changes all the time so we can not do it every yr can we..

xx

Daftbat
26-10-2010, 12:00 PM
when i did my last course they said that in the states they were no longer doing breaths but that the protocol had not been changed here and they didn't think it would. However, how can it make your certificate invalid? There's more to it than just that and i am sure thaty in an actual emergency no one is going to moan if we actually provide respiratory help.

singlewiththree
26-10-2010, 12:06 PM
Who can remember everything they did on the course? I certainly can't and have to keep re-reading the first aid book to refresh myself

PixiePetal
26-10-2010, 12:07 PM
At my last renewal instructor said people are too afraid of getting it wrong especially with babies small lungs and they recommended not to after the initial 2 rescue breaths - they concentrated on compressions.

Better read up on it - due in March :rolleyes:

flora
26-10-2010, 12:12 PM
I think they have got that wrong Hebs.

The protocol has changed toe emphasis has shifted from rescue breaths in adults to compressions.

In children and drowning we were taught in July that 2 breaths still came first.

The resus council are always tweaking and altering things based on new eveidence, but as out intructor said, even if you did do breaths first and comps second lives would still be saved as they have for the many years before the emphasis changed ifyswim??? :thumbsup:

Penny1959
26-10-2010, 12:16 PM
On my course (Feb 10) we were told that if did not want to do breaths - then just keep airway open and if could - do compressions. HOWEVER we were taught to do breaths and told the benefits of doing so. We were also told that it did not really matter if got number of breaths wrong - the numbers quoted are for max benefit - but any breaths would be beneficial.

I think there has been some negative press about First Aid and they are trying to ensure people are not put off from trying - hence the 'only if you want to' statements.

Penny :)

PS I would have thought if there had been such a major change and certs no longer valid that we would have been told and that Ofsted would be picking up on it - my inspection was Oct 10 and no prob with my first aid cert.

Mollymop
26-10-2010, 12:24 PM
I am on my first aid course on MOnday so will see what they say but I am sure that our cert isn't invalid just because they have decided to change it again - they are always changing it that is why it is important to refresh x

minkzebell
26-10-2010, 01:08 PM
I had my course in May, the instructor told us that if we didn't want to do breaths we didn't have to and we also commented on how much oxygen the person would actually get if it is your de oxygented breaths they are getting iyswim? The main thing to remember is that you do what you can, to the best of your ability at the time, tbh I think I would really struggle doing breaths on someone who has vomited :eek:

Hebs
26-10-2010, 01:18 PM
Molly that would be great thanks x

teacake2
26-10-2010, 02:04 PM
I am on a course 6th/13th November so will see what is said then, I read on ceefax that breaths and compressions were changing last week, but didn't want to say anything until I had been on the course.
Teacake2

tulip0803
26-10-2010, 02:08 PM
I did mine in July & we still did breaths but he did say it was likely to change as many people are uncomfortable with doing breaths on an adult particularly if person has been sick or is smelly! You will not be doing wrong by doing breaths they are just saying that you do not have to do it, compressions are enough.

beccas
26-10-2010, 06:32 PM
i heard on tv that if you hadnt got aupto dat efirst aid cert then they would prefer if you did just chest compressions..

The Juggler
27-10-2010, 07:58 AM
interesting girls. thanks

IndigoMoon
27-10-2010, 08:11 AM
I did a first aid course a few weeks ago and was told that rescue breaths are being stopped in the states and may be dropped here in the future. They say they are not necessary but I still had to do them to pass the course. :laughing:

gigglinggoblin
27-10-2010, 08:31 AM
I aksed dh last night when he got back from St John Ambulance meeting, he said nothing has been said there but he has read that in America they have advised people to stop doing breaths and have seen a small rise in survival rates, they were expecting a small drop. Its not been advised to stop here but as lots of others have said its optional, when doing compressions you knock the air out of the lungs so it naturally sucks air back in anyway

Mollymop
02-11-2010, 08:12 PM
Just to let you know I had part 1 of my first aid course on Monday and I asked my instructor... are they stopping breaths in the US and just doing compressions.

He said that he has heard of this and that their is lot of poor instructors telling people that this is the new way of doing things when it is not. Apparently you can do cpr without doing any breaths for only 5 mins.
What they are being told in some states in the US is, that doing breaths is better than not going near a casualty because they have found a lot of people are afraid to do cpr due to the fear of catching AIDs. (even though there is very little chance of catching AIDs, more likely to catch TB)
He seems to think it will not be something we will be doing over here in the near future x

Flisspaps
02-11-2010, 08:53 PM
I did a first aid first aid course last month and nothing about this was mentioned, and I was required to do breaths and compressions as part of the certificate.

breezy
02-11-2010, 09:02 PM
finished my course on 22nd Oct we were told the resuscitation council were sitting on 20th of October to decide whether or not to change things as people were put off doing anything because of doing breaths.

On 22nd we were told there was no change for children or adults BUT it is better just to do compressions than nothing at all and that noone would expect us to to resus on someone who was bleeding from the nose or mouth or had vomited without wearing a face shield with a one way valve.!!!!!!

As you can see here, emphasis is now on compressions, but rescue breathes are still in use.

See under " Basic resuscitation" sections

http://www.resus.org.uk/pages/guide.htm

miffy
02-11-2010, 09:15 PM
Thanks Breezy - not that I would be at all keen to put any of it into practice!

Miffy xx

ZoeAlli
02-11-2010, 09:28 PM
When I did my training which was over a year ago (however my husband did his earlier this year & advice was the same), we were informed that in cpr it was more important to start with compressions and then do two rescue breaths. The reason; the body already has oxygenated blood in it and it is important to get that blood round the body to prevent oxygen starvation, hence the compressions first followed by rescue breaths which replenish the oxygen in the blood.
I have not heard about cutting the rescue breaths out completely.

Winnie
02-11-2010, 09:35 PM
It’s the new protocol, but you should continue to do it as you were taught until you receive training on the new protocol :)