Saturday, December 11, 2010

They'll take good care of you

Rob has been on a First Aid course this week. If you visit the towers in La Rochelle* and have a heart attack from climbing the hundreds of stairs you can rest assured that Rob and his colleagues will shave your chest and use a defibrillator to shock you back to life. They learnt other useful things too. Rob did his last course 22 years ago when I was pregnant with Dominique (or was it 24 years ago, when I was pregnant with Christian?) and was surprised how things have changed.

From next year in France there will be other changes. No more feeling for a pulse, apparently it’s not much use. Also, no more mouth to mouth, that doesn’t do much either and could be dangerous in this day and age of HIV and other nasties. What’s it like in your country?

*Link to webcam.  The port is empty at the moment because it is being cleaned.

11 comments:

Dru Marland said...

I'm useless at finding a pulse. On the other hand, I don't usually carry a defib. with me. I remember there was a mouthpiece introduced when AIDS first became popular, which meant that you could do mouth-to-mouth without exchanging saliva, presumably. But the only time I had to use my lifesaving skills, there was no equipment available at all, so I just did mouth-to-mouth because it seemed a shame to let him die. Which he did anyway.

How are they cleaning the harbour? Frogmen with dustpans and brushes?

Melissa said...

Here in the States, they've done away with rescue breathing as well, and now just recommend chest compressions.

How can you know whether or not to defib, or give chest compressions, if you don't check for a pulse?

Melissa XX

Anji said...

Dru: "when AIDS first became popular" Unfortunate turn of phrase, I think.
They have a draguese (my spelling)which is a Heath-Robinson like device which scoops up the gunge (posh poo from yachts?) takes it out to sea and dumps it.

Melissa: You look for other signs of life like chest movement. I'm going to read the booklet he was given.

IWASNTBLOGGEDYESTERDAY said...

"No more feeling for a pulse, apparently it’s not much use"

thats hilarious lol...prods patient...are you alive???LOL

Caroline said...

So do they use an electric razor or a blade, if it's a blade do they recommend dry shaving or wet and if wet today like a lather aura shaving oil. Think if you have a hairy chest you might be dead before all this is done anyway!

The WebCam appears to be in the hotel room where I stayed about 10 years ago, if not that room one nearby.

Caroline XXX

Doris said...

Is it just me that is finding this thread hilarious?! And terrifying - do we go straight to a quick chest wax and defib rather than anything less intrusive.

Ooo-er Dru - that must have been distressing trying to help someone but they still didn't make it. At least you tried. x

cassie-b said...

I'll try hard to live my life in such a way that I won't need their help. "Hundreds of stairs" is hardly in my vocabulary.

Caroline said...

Chest wax ready strips! Why didn't I think of that?

What happened to the gel they used to use?

Caroline xxx

Lesley said...

Caroline. The gel probably stained someones suede or leather clothing and the firstaider was sued!

Mary Lou said...

From what they are showing on THE DOCTORS, You no longer do rescue breathing but you do chest compressions to the bee-gees hit, Staying alive. Right timing if you hum it right! Makes sense to me.

Anji said...

Iwasn'tblogged: It's poetic too!

Caroline: perhaps a waxing, that would shock them back to life!

Doris: it does seem to have gone down the wrong way...

Cas: Half the staff are old enough to have knee problmes so they don't risk their lives going up the stairs

Mary Lou: I'll be ready with my Bee Gees CD...

Lesley: I could see that happening...