A question posted recently on Quora asked, “What is the most common mistake average people make trying to administer CPR?” Deepu Sebin, a doctor and founder of a healthcare startup, gave his opinion on the topic below. Check it out and add your own thoughts in the comments.
- Giving respiration (mouth to mouth) priority over chest compression: As per the latest research, giving chest compression is enough maintain a certain amount of gas exchange in lungs if the mouth is open. So keep giving compression. Respiration can wait.
- Interrupting CPR to give respiratory support or attending minor injuries.
- Not assessing the response: Unlike in the movies, victims don’t jump off and take a deep breath once they regain the pulse. You have to keep checking carotid (neck vessel) for appearance of pulsations.
- Not calling for help: A normal person will not be able to give adequate CPR for more than 3 minutes. You should not be calling for help when you about to give up, rather it should be when you start the CPR.
- CPR is not everything: The victim may need other types of medical support. Even if the victim responds to CPR he/she will need medical help to sustain cardiac activity. Make sure help is one the way!
- Forgetting own safety: Especially in poisoning, drowning, electrocution and natural calamities
- In addition to this, there are many common mistakes of involving the CPR technique: Too rapid compression, Not keeping elbows straight, giving too much or too little force) These can be rectified by following the standard protocol.
