Hanging out at the house last night, basking in the glow of the tree and feeling logy after the third full day of digesting mass quantities. And there's egg nog and candy in every corner of the house in case my blood sugar drops below 200. The kids are thrilled to be a part of it all, squirreling away candies and sneaking away to the play room. My 6-year old son is still buried in Lego kits, and my 2-year-old daughter is starting her journey as a performer, with a cute little drum set and a microphone sounding off at all hours.
It's a good thing she didn't get too far from Candy Mountain last night. Because she ended up lodging a Werther's in her airway. She was sitting on my grandmother's lap when my step dad threw an index finger in her direction, and furiously wagged it. "She's...she can't..."
I rolled my head in her direction, eyes at half-mast. Through my haze, I saw her reach for her throat. When my eyes locked on her face, turning from red to a dusky color. The hallmarks of choking were playing out exactly as they have been published. A tidal wave of adrenaline rushed through me, and I levitated out of the sofa. My instincts and first aid training took over.
In 2008, the American Heart Association published a survey about nationwide CPR training. Although 89% of respondents were willing to assist or step in to provide CPR for a victim, only 21% felt confident enough to perform it. Only 15% said they could utilize an AED in an emergency. The report added that most people were afraid they would screw something up, and/or suffer legal consequences.
I admit I was shocked, frozen, and completely surprised that my daughter would be the first victim that I saved from a choking emergency. I was scared that my training or my memory of the first aid algorithms would be accurate and effective enough to save her. I am trained in advanced cardiac life support, and my team undergoes routine training multiple times a year for CPR, AED, and first aid. But I was flat-out freaked I would fail. All of these thoughts went through my mind in a fraction of a second as I grabbed her and began the pediatric airway routines.
The outcome was positive. I had to beat up on her a bit, and had to institute a diaphragm maneuver. But the caramel popped out of her airway like a cork out of a bottle. Nothing but a scare for her, and she went to bed like an angel.
In reality, your family or friends will likely be the victims you have to save. And having the practice to save them is what it comes down to. Various sources place the length of time for brain death from lack of oxygen between 2 and 6 minutes. And that doesn't count the spectrum of brain damage during the time the brain has been deprived.
Being familiar with medical emergencies is easy to read about online; there are countless pages and sites. But rehearsing scenarios for heart attack, stroke, choking, and other common first aid situations is essential if anyone is to respond quickly enough to help a victim avoid brain damage, physical disability, or even death. Rehearsing at least once a quarter at home with your family or at work with your colleagues could mean the difference for those in trouble.
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