Josh and Meghan Dishaw — who live in Middlebury with their two young children — are offering a free Heartsaver CPR/AED course at Ilsley Library on February 22 and March 28. Josh is the president of RESTART, LLC medical education. “We believe CPR is for everybody,” says Meghan. “We love the idea of our neighbors getting trained and feel that the cost of training should not be a limiting factor.”
Q: Can you bust some common CPR myths for us?
A: People often say that performing CPR will “break ribs,” when in fact the likelihood of doing so is quite low. A 3-year study in California revealed that less than 1/10 of a percent had rib fractures from compressions. The noise associated with compressions is often cartilage breaking.
Research shows that finger sweeps and/or lifting one’s arms when they are choking is ineffective.
The thought that some may shy away from assisting with CPR for fear of being sued for their actions, is incorrect. The ‘Good Samaritan’ law protects anyone acting in good faith towards another human being during a medical emergency from liability.
Q. How old/big does a kid have to be before you should perform the Heimlich maneuver on them?
A: For a choking infant, the correct positioning would be face-down inversion, supported on your arm. Alternating between five back slaps and five chest compressions. When the child is too large to properly hold them in the correct position, you switch to using the Heimlich Maneuver.
Come learn more this Saturday at Ilsley Library.
MORE DETAILS ON THE CLASS
This will be a Heartsaver, CPR (adult, child and infant) and AED (automated external defibrillator) course that can be taken for general information or certification. During the course you’ll be instructed on proper technique to administer high-quality chest compressions on someone in cardiac arrest, the Heimlich maneuver, choking relief for both responsive and unresponsive individuals, AED operation and First Aid.
If you would like a certification card, the American Heart Association charges $20 for them. The Dishaws are excited to get together with members of the community to share this vital information.
Registration is required for this class. There will be a second class held on Saturday March 28. To register click here.