Question about BLS cert. and CPR

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So I just got my BLS certification yesterday. However, I have a question now that I didn't have yesterday. My class was not taught mouth-to-mouth CPR. The instructor never even touched basis on it. So, my question is, if ever given the scenario to do a mouth-to-mouth CPR, would I need to plug the victim's nostrils just like I see on TV and in the movies?

Specializes in Emergency Department.
Yes. Cover mouth. & nose with mouth is for infant & small child. If you don't pinch the nose when performing mouth to mouth the air will follow the path of least resistance and exit the nose rather than enter the lungs

That said EBP shows that if you are first on scene of an unresponsive adult call 911/activate EMS & send someone for the AED. If no face mask , oxygen or AMBU bag do effective compression only CPR until advanced help arrives. Effective compressions at 100/min is more beneficial than compressions + mouth to mouth and increased risk of disease transmission due to lack of barrier. Hence why mouth to mask & BVM ventilation are taught and not mouth to mouth ventilations

It takes time to set up and use the barrier devices in one-person CPR. When you add in the fact that freshly dead people's blood doesn't desaturate very quickly, hands-only CPR is effective enough to buy time for a team to arrive to take over. When the team arrives, they'll usually dedicate one person to airway and another to doing CPR at a 30:2 ratio. If they are able to establish an advanced airway, they'll probably go to continuous compressions at 100/min and breaths ever 5-6 seconds, hopefully using ETCO2 to monitor compression effectiveness.

If you have to begin adding in ventilations to your CPR efforts, be very speedy in transitioning to and from providing ventilations because there's little to no circulation happening while you're not doing compressions and your first few compressions after you begin again won't be as effective at moving blood around as the ones you did right before you stopped compressions to do ventilation.

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That's some really good info. Thank you so much. I wasn't even taught that one could seal both mouth and nose when giving breaths during CPR. And I was also told about the possibility of vomiting, which is why I originally thought masks were now preferred.

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Specializes in Public Health.

In real life. No. Hell to the no. Compressions all the way if there is no face mask available. That is why I carry a barrier mask with me just in case.

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Specializes in Hospitalist Medicine.

As part of our BLS course, we were each given a small pouch to keep in our purses that has a mouth/face barrier that you can use to give breaths and get a proper seal without direct skin/saliva contact with the victim.

The purpose of the BLS course is to teach you what you need to know as a healthcare provider, so they're assuming you already know conventional CPR.

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Specializes in Hospital Education Coordinator.

American Heart Asso. offers several types of "CPR" courses. Am. Red Cross offers at least two and there are probably others. In my area only AHA courses are acceptable for staff. Heartsaver for unlicensed and Healthcare Provider for licensed staff. Both teach rescue breaths. If you are taking a community class just for your own edification, it will probably emphasize calling 9-1-1 and doing a minimum of CPR. If you are working, or intend to work, in a healthcare environment, you need an AHA course.

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Are AHA BLS training free?

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Specializes in Complex pedi to LTC/SA & now a manager.
Are AHA BLS training free?

No. Although some employers pay for the course or via reimbursement.

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It was $65 for the my course.

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