Saw a Paramedic doing CPR and have question

Rollo Tamasey · 04-06-2005, 22:02

I am not an EMT but I saw an off duty E.M.T. giving a guy who had passed out while jogging C.P.R. When he did the mouth to mouth part he had taken a clear plastic mouth gaurd thing out of his fanny pack. It was triangular in shape. Can a none E.M.T. by these somewhere to keep in his truck in case he learns C.P.R.

This must be to protect form desieses. When I was in junior high a guest speeker firefighter said he was giving a guy mouth to mouth and the guy regained conciouseness and threw up into his mouth.

Are there any documented cases of someone getting AIDs or Hepititis from giving C.P.R. ?

Westicle · 04-07-2005, 03:52

the device he was using is called a "shield", usually just a piece of plastic with a one way valve in it and a saran wrap cover. they are an easy to carry item and are for a life or death situation.

jim2037 · 04-07-2005, 04:42

Hi rollo,

My name is Jim and I am a paramedic in Charlotte NC, The device you saw being used is most probably a shield or microshield, it is a thin plastic barrier with a one way valve that allows air to go in but prohibits other things (like vomit) from coming back onto or into your mouth. These products are commercially available at just about any medical supply store or through online distributors like www.galls.com. They are simple to use but I recommend that if you percieve yourself to ever be in situation where you are likely to give CPR, that you enroll in a CPR class, they are usually very short and quite easy to understand. If I remember correctly the class is about 4 hrs long.

Best of luck

Jim Manning
EMT-P

jim2037 · 04-07-2005, 04:44

also let me add, I do not know if there are any documented cases of AIDS or Hepatitis from CPR. there is always a transmission risk anytime there is blood to blood contact, blood on non intact skin or blood contact to the mucous membranes. Proper use of PPE (personal protective equipment) such as the shields we have discussed here are excellent barriers to the transmission of disease.

Jim

TerraMedicX · 04-07-2005, 10:06

Quote:

Originally posted by Rollo Tamasey
I am not an EMT but I saw an off duty E.M.T. giving a guy who had passed out while jogging C.P.R. When he did the mouth to mouth part he had taken a clear plastic mouth gaurd thing out of his fanny pack. It was triangular in shape. Can a none E.M.T. by these somewhere to keep in his truck in case he learns C.P.R.

This must be to protect form desieses. When I was in junior high a guest speeker firefighter said he was giving a guy mouth to mouth and the guy regained conciouseness and threw up into his mouth.

Are there any documented cases of someone getting AIDs or Hepititis from giving C.P.R. ?

Rollo,
Looks like the other replies have covered the shields pretty well, I'd also add though that you can get these from your local Red Cross office, and while you're there you can sign up for a Community First Aid and Safety class which includes CPR training.
As for disease transmission, as an instructor let me add my 2 cents. Jim didn't exactly emphasize the point that it requires BLOOD to blood, broken skin or mucus membrane for transmission. AIDS and Hepatitis (at least the B and C forms) can also be transmited through sexual fluids. The thing is that while preforming CPR, the victim is very rarely bleeding activly and there have never been any documented cases of a rescuer contracting either of these viruses while preforming CPR or rescue breathing. The only things I would worry about contracting while preforming CPR are Herpes if they have an active case (and since about half the population in America has one form of herpes or another...), TB, or a cold. If the victim was an infant or child you could also potentially contract meningitis, but that is also pretty rare and I don't think that there have been any documented cases of this either.
All that said, I don't really like having people puke in my mouth and therefore I would probably not give CPR to someone without some form of barrier device, but not because I'm worried about getting anything (just worried about loosing my most recent meal!).
Hope that helps,
Nate.

lomfs24 · 04-07-2005, 17:17

Quote:

Originally posted by TerraMedicX
Rollo,
Looks like the other replies have covered the shields pretty well, I'd also add though that you can get these from your local Red Cross office, and while you're there you can sign up for a Community First Aid and Safety class which includes CPR training.
As for disease transmission, as an instructor let me add my 2 cents. Jim didn't exactly emphasize the point that it requires BLOOD to blood, broken skin or mucus membrane for transmission. AIDS and Hepatitis (at least the B and C forms) can also be transmited through sexual fluids. The thing is that while preforming CPR, the victim is very rarely bleeding activly and there have never been any documented cases of a rescuer contracting either of these viruses while preforming CPR or rescue breathing. The only things I would worry about contracting while preforming CPR are Herpes if they have an active case (and since about half the population in America has one form of herpes or another...), TB, or a cold. If the victim was an infant or child you could also potentially contract meningitis, but that is also pretty rare and I don't think that there have been any documented cases of this either.
All that said, I don't really like having people puke in my mouth and therefore I would probably not give CPR to someone without some form of barrier device, but not because I'm worried about getting anything (just worried about loosing my most recent meal!).
Hope that helps,
Nate.

I was given one by my captain that is on a keychain. It has a barrier in it and a pair of gloves smashed so tightly that it fits in a little pouch on my key chain.

As far as vomit goes, whether I was using a barrier or not and someone puked on me I would probably lose my cookies. But it's nice to know you're not gonna get any.

Rollo Tamasey · 04-07-2005, 18:58

If I take a CPR class I am going to get a couple of these sheilds. Two other citizens and I and all dialed 911 on our cells. Fortunatley the off duty EMT was there. I got to thinking though what if they did not show up in time? None of us would have known what to do. In my grade school they taught us CPR on a resusa Annie Doll but that was so long ago I forgot it.

lomfs24 · 04-08-2005, 10:41

Rollo,
I don't know what First Responder classes cost in your area but that may be something that you may be interested in as well. Here in Montana I don't think the classes are that expensive and the license from the state is free. It will give you a whole lot more than just CPR and first aid and I don't think the classes cost that much more.

And.... if you fall in love with the idea it may lead into joining a local volunteer fire department.

tankerman96 · 04-09-2005, 01:48

The device used was a shield or barrier device it has a one way valve on it to stop fluids from coming back to you. They are not expensive and can be picked up from any medical supply store or the red cross. Some are even so small they come in a keychain holder.

jim2037 · 04-12-2005, 08:52

Quote:

Originally posted by TerraMedicX
Rollo,
Looks like the other replies have covered the shields pretty well, I'd also add though that you can get these from your local Red Cross office, and while you're there you can sign up for a Community First Aid and Safety class which includes CPR training.
As for disease transmission, as an instructor let me add my 2 cents. Jim didn't exactly emphasize the point that it requires BLOOD to blood, broken skin or mucus membrane for transmission. AIDS and Hepatitis (at least the B and C forms) can also be transmited through sexual fluids. The thing is that while preforming CPR, the victim is very rarely bleeding activly and there have never been any documented cases of a rescuer contracting either of these viruses while preforming CPR or rescue breathing. The only things I would worry about contracting while preforming CPR are Herpes if they have an active case (and since about half the population in America has one form of herpes or another...), TB, or a cold. If the victim was an infant or child you could also potentially contract meningitis, but that is also pretty rare and I don't think that there have been any documented cases of this either.
All that said, I don't really like having people puke in my mouth and therefore I would probably not give CPR to someone without some form of barrier device, but not because I'm worried about getting anything (just worried about loosing my most recent meal!).
Hope that helps,
Nate.

I stand corrected.