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The most surprising things I was taught when taking classes in Germany (which went beyond the mandatory classes you have to take to get a driver's license) are

The most surprising things I was taught when taking classes in Germany (which went beyond the mandatory classes you have to take to get a driver's license) are the following. Well, not really surprising once you think about it... - Mouth-to-nose is usually better than mouth-to-mouth, at least when there is no obstructions (like bleeding, broken nose, snot, etc). - If you're doing chest compressions, expect a high probability of breaking a few ribs. Don't stop, as it is highly unlikely the ribs will break "inwards" and puncture a lung, and a broken rib is still better than being dead. - Remove all clothing from the chest area you're working during CPR. Yes, that includes bras, specifically. The reason being that any clothes will hurt your hands/rip your gloves (if you have some)/shave the skin off your hand especially when you have to do CPR for 15mins. Bras in particular often have wires etc in them that will hurt your hands even worse. As one of the EMTs training us put it: "Don't be shy, no time for false modesty, it may cost a life." - Don't forget to breath when giving mouth-to-*. Also, don't forget to actually lift your head when you breath. Else you will just breath in the spent air again that you and the person you're helping just exhaled. Given that CPR is very physically taxing, according to the EMTs it is quite common for people giving the CPR to faint themselves if they breath incorrectly. - It is more important to call for help than to do CPR. Always call first, if you're alone. And stay on the phone until you're being told you can get off the line. Apparently a lot of people either do not call, or call, scream some stuff into the phone, then hang up to administer help, often forgetting to tell crucial details like their location because it is such a high stress situation. - Defibrillators do not actually restart hearts that stopped beating. They essentially stop the heart in order to reboot it in hopes it will restart with a proper pace/rhythm.

c0vfefe 7y ago
> "Don't be shy, no time for false modesty, it may cost a life." Or it may cost the rescuer quite a bit when a woman regains consciousness half-naked with a man on top of her.
- johnmaguire2013 7y ago
  Yeah, it's no surprise this isn't taught in the US...
  - dragonwriter 7y ago
    It's not usually taught, I think, because if you dony have a knife (which is what professional rescuers will use if they need to do this), removing clothes tends to add delay and also involve moving the subject, both of which are strongly contraindicated in most circumstances where a lay rescuers needs to use CPR in the first place.
- Thiez 7y ago
  The man has a pretty good explanation in that case, iff there was a good reason to administer CPR. So what would it cost the rescuer, exactly? Unless you start undressing every unconscious woman you encounter, even if they seem to have no other problems...
  - tempestn 7y ago
    People have been sued for injuries caused while performing CPR, so I could certainly imagine someone being sued for undressing a person (without their consent, obviously) to perform CPR.
    - verall 7y ago
      Do you have a link for that? Every time I look into one of these/similar stories it is a shitty insurance company either heavily encouraging or basically forcing the suit if the person wants to be covered for their injuries at all.
    - Thiez 7y ago
      You can sue anyone for just about anything. But it doesn't seem like a very winnable case to me. Maybe in some crazy jurisdictions. Many places have 'good Samaritan' laws that protect people who are not medical professionals when they cause injuries during a good faith attempt to safe someone's life. I would assume injuries to someone's modesty are included... At the end of the day, would you rather let a woman in need of CPR die because you are afraid of maybe getting sued, with an even smaller chance of a conviction?
      - tempestn 7y ago
        Of course, I agree. My point was just that it's not like my grandparent's suggestion that there could be consequences for the rescuer is unheard of.
      - c0vfefe 7y ago
        There's also the court of public opinion to consider, in which actual legal standing is irrelevant. Small comfort if you successfully rebuff a suit but lose your reputation in the process.
- pvaldes 7y ago
  This should not happen. Another rule is that you must not to put yourself on top of the victim or walk crossing over the body of other people. Is disrespectful and can be dangerous also. You have to sidestep it and approach from one of the sides.
  - c0vfefe 7y ago
    Somehow I doubt that a side position would substantially improve the situation for either party if the woman still feels violated.
    - pvaldes 7y ago
      I understand how social rules about touching other people can differ in different cultures, but a side position looks clearly different to a "riding" position to me in this sense. People feel often ashamed, can feel humiliated, violated, happy, sad, or anything their want, but they have to understand that CPR means that 1) you life is at risk and 2) some stranger(s) will put their mouth in yours and their hands near your breasts for some time. Period of time that can last for many minutes or even hours. Often longer than the duration of most violations. There is often a legal obligation to do it for some people. To pass and quit the area is not an option. Sorry but there is no time to find a young sexually acceptable partner for you to happily wake up in her/his arms and upload your booze adventure to instagram, forever-happy style. Deal with it. There is nothing sexually arousing in the experience for the rescuers about your vomit taste or about your body leaking different kinds of fluids over yourself. Not even remotely.

c0vfefe 7y ago

> "Don't be shy, no time for false modesty, it may cost a life." Or it may cost the rescuer quite a bit when a woman regains consciousness half-naked with a man on top of her.

johnmaguire2013 7y ago
Yeah, it's no surprise this isn't taught in the US...
- dragonwriter 7y ago
  It's not usually taught, I think, because if you dony have a knife (which is what professional rescuers will use if they need to do this), removing clothes tends to add delay and also involve moving the subject, both of which are strongly contraindicated in most circumstances where a lay rescuers needs to use CPR in the first place.
Thiez 7y ago
The man has a pretty good explanation in that case, iff there was a good reason to administer CPR. So what would it cost the rescuer, exactly? Unless you start undressing every unconscious woman you encounter, even if they seem to have no other problems...
- tempestn 7y ago
  People have been sued for injuries caused while performing CPR, so I could certainly imagine someone being sued for undressing a person (without their consent, obviously) to perform CPR.
  - verall 7y ago
    Do you have a link for that? Every time I look into one of these/similar stories it is a shitty insurance company either heavily encouraging or basically forcing the suit if the person wants to be covered for their injuries at all.
  - Thiez 7y ago
    You can sue anyone for just about anything. But it doesn't seem like a very winnable case to me. Maybe in some crazy jurisdictions. Many places have 'good Samaritan' laws that protect people who are not medical professionals when they cause injuries during a good faith attempt to safe someone's life. I would assume injuries to someone's modesty are included... At the end of the day, would you rather let a woman in need of CPR die because you are afraid of maybe getting sued, with an even smaller chance of a conviction?
    - tempestn 7y ago
      Of course, I agree. My point was just that it's not like my grandparent's suggestion that there could be consequences for the rescuer is unheard of.
    - c0vfefe 7y ago
      There's also the court of public opinion to consider, in which actual legal standing is irrelevant. Small comfort if you successfully rebuff a suit but lose your reputation in the process.
pvaldes 7y ago
This should not happen. Another rule is that you must not to put yourself on top of the victim or walk crossing over the body of other people. Is disrespectful and can be dangerous also. You have to sidestep it and approach from one of the sides.
- c0vfefe 7y ago
  Somehow I doubt that a side position would substantially improve the situation for either party if the woman still feels violated.
  - pvaldes 7y ago
    I understand how social rules about touching other people can differ in different cultures, but a side position looks clearly different to a "riding" position to me in this sense. People feel often ashamed, can feel humiliated, violated, happy, sad, or anything their want, but they have to understand that CPR means that 1) you life is at risk and 2) some stranger(s) will put their mouth in yours and their hands near your breasts for some time. Period of time that can last for many minutes or even hours. Often longer than the duration of most violations. There is often a legal obligation to do it for some people. To pass and quit the area is not an option. Sorry but there is no time to find a young sexually acceptable partner for you to happily wake up in her/his arms and upload your booze adventure to instagram, forever-happy style. Deal with it. There is nothing sexually arousing in the experience for the rescuers about your vomit taste or about your body leaking different kinds of fluids over yourself. Not even remotely.