If you’re planning on having a big weekend, you might want to take a few moments to freshen up on your CPR. You know, just in case. The British Heart Foundation has created a handy video to help you remember the key steps to helping someone stay alive. After watching ‘ard man Vinnie Jones perform CPR to the tune of Stayin’ Alive, you’ll never forget. More »
CPR has long comprised three steps: clearing one’s airway, administering mouth-to-mouth breathing, and pumping their chest. But the American Heart Association’s new guidelines say that untrained resuscitators should just skip the whole mouth-to-mouth part. Wait! No! More »
Meet the manikins (not to be confused with mankinis), medical dummies (spelled “manikin”, apparently) used to train future doctors on how to do the bare minimum to keep you alive that the HMO will pay for. There are all types, from the sexy Overweight CPR manikin to the Deluxe Child Crisis manikin. My favourite is the Multi Man CPR manikin, because it reminds me of last weekend. Vote on your favourite, then report back here and we’ll compare notes. Next week we’ll feature Manikin II: On The Move. [Medical Mainikins on Oobject]
This concept is a gizmo which you’d have in a first aid kit to help you if someone collapses and needs CPR. You’d whack it on the chest of the ill person, line it up and follow its instructions. It flashes to give you proper timing, and clicks to let you know you’re using the right chest-compression pressure (it’s harder than you think). It looks pretty simple, and is exactly the sort of thing that might help save a few lives in an emergency. Best of all, it’s a classic case of nominative determinism in action: its designer is Ryan Helps. [Yanko Design]
The AutoPulse by Zoll is an automated CPR device that can not only replace someone performing life-saving chest compressions, but that can actually implement these compressions more effectively than human hands. Essentially a battery-operated band that wraps around the chest of a patient, by squeezing a larger area the AutoPulse can circulate blood better than standard CPR while allowing the doctor/technician to focus their efforts elsewhere. As far as hands-free technology goes, it sure beats the crap out of your Bluetooth headset. [autopulse via news and digg]
