how many of us are first aid trained?

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First Aid: how well trained are you

  • no proper training

    Votes: 101 13.1%
  • Trained but the certificate has run out

    Votes: 230 29.8%
  • Trained with current certificate

    Votes: 440 57.1%

  • Total voters
    771
Did mine whilst in the services these are done annually and it's driven home to you until it's second nature, also did the Canadian forces training course much more intensive and included skiing etc.
 
... The reason, they said is that the (british medical journal I think?) believe that chest compressions in no way at all are compressing the heart, its to deep in the chest, and what the compressions are actually doing are pushing blood and air in and out of the lungs, thus pumping the heart by proxy. ...)



The second time I gave CPR was interesting and unusual.

While I was giving CPR to a yachtsman, the ambulance crew arrived and attached the defibrilator with ECG.

When I backed off they gave the first shock. On the second shock, there was a big flash and the debfib was kaput!

However the ECG was still working and displaying the fibrillation

As I resumed compressions, the ECG display recorded each compression with a spike in the otherwise fibrillating wave. Similar to that recorded by a normal heart.

The paramedic felt a firm pulse in the carotid artery.

So did the surgeon who was monitoring the groin pulse.

Until that day, I always felt like that compressions were a waste of time if no result was achieved in a few minutes.

If you do it right, you become that persons heart.

Never give up till you are relieved especially on children.
 
The second time I gave CPR was interesting and unusual.

While I was giving CPR to a yachtsman, the ambulance crew arrived and attached the defibrilator with ECG.

When I backed off they gave the first shock. On the second shock, there was a big flash and the debfib was kaput!

However the ECG was still working and displaying the fibrillation

As I resumed compressions, the ECG display recorded each compression with a spike in the otherwise fibrillating wave. Similar to that recorded by a normal heart.

The paramedic felt a firm pulse in the carotid artery.

So did the surgeon who was monitoring the groin pulse.

Until that day, I always felt like that compressions were a waste of time if no result was achieved in a few minutes.

If you do it right, you become that persons heart.

Never give up till you are relieved especially on children.

Compressions work!
I got afriend back from no output to giving a pulse. Unfortunately he arrested again in the ambulance and was shocked back to output againand with his history of heart probs/surgery there was too much injury and he only survived a few more days.
 
Just after I did my first first aid course my friend fell off a cliff skiing (I was behind her) she broke her arm in 2 places and had concussion... it's amazing how useless everything I learnt was in god-knows-how-cold-it-was temperatures. All I had to do was carry her to the nearest piste and get someone to fetch a 'blood wagon'. Fun times.
 
Because I volunteer at our local youthcentre here in the Netherlands I got a BHV-course. On a BHV-course you learn first aid and fire-prevention. With an BHV-certificate someone is able to act if something happens before the profs come(and that should be in about 15 minutes, after calling 112). But in the wilderness it's mostly useless I think. And even without BHV, I know there are enough people, mostly older than me, that know much more and don't have BHV/first aid. Just because they have more (life)experience. For example: I really don't know when a small wound must be sutured or not.

A 'wilderness first aid'course or something like that should be interesting. I once saw a course like that and it was very expensive and in Canada. No option.

But mostly its about good thinking what to do and improvising.
 
I have a current expedition first aid certificate and I'm a newly qualified first responder trained by South East Ambulance Service, of which I plan to do a couple of add on courses they run, but the basic training covers using defib, 100% oxygen, airway management and so on.

I'm currently saving, very slowly, to do an ExMed type expediction Medics course. You can't know enough in my mind.

Pib
 
I'm currently saving, very slowly, to do an ExMed type expediction Medics course. You can't know enough in my mind.

Very useful for exped/overseas stuff, also check out Prometheus Medical for courses, I have no link with either course provider but I know some of the staff and they certainly know their stuff.
 
Does anyone knows if there are any 'wilderness first aid' courses in Europe/Netherlands?
I know Taku Adventures gives one. 7 days and 550 euro. But thats in Canada. A bit war away and thus expensive.
 
Boops thanks for the heads up I'll give them a look. Whilst I'm obviously interested in this kind of thing, I also saw it as a way of paying my way on expeds and the likes and getting in with that kind of circle of people.

Not sure how realistic that is but it's my excuse and I'm sticking to it. ;)

Pib:cool:
 
I think anybody going on a trip alone or with friends should have atleast a rough idea of some first aid otherwise your pretty much done for if your in the middle of nowhere and something goes wrong!
 
my certificates are out of date St johns and London Underground Limited
but i get kept on my toes by my mother who's been a nurse and outdoors type since before i was born
 
I currently hold a basic maintanience of life certificate that I did at school. this taught me how to recusitate someone, and a few bits about dealing with heart attacks, and some other injuries. however I never recieved the actual peice of paper that says I passed. past that i have no proper qualifications (and I don't realy count that one)
 
just a bog standard appointed persons here, 1 day rollercoaster ride of fun, still working on my boss to put me in for the full shebang... until then i live safe in the knowledge that i can bandage a hand and bring a rubber doll back from the brink of death :)
 

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