RMD Birmingham

Frequently asked questions

Written by Administrator

Saturday, 06 December 2008

BLS Q.Why do we not include finding the carotid pulse in the initial patient assessment? A. the carotid is difficult to find and increases the time to the start of compressions. This is why we don’t include carotid pulse assessment in the BLS course.   Q. Can chest compressions be too fast? A. YES the correct rate is around 100 compressions per minute. Very fast chest compressions are less effective as you aren’t giving the heart time to fill.     AED Q.Does pad placement change depending upon which side you approach the patient from? A. NO. pad placement is the same (as shown on the pads) regardless of what side you are on.   Choking Q.What should be done once the choking patient loses consciousness? A. Firstly make sure the emergency services have been called. If not make sure you or a bystander calls them now Secondly start CPR. Begin with 30 chest compressions to 2 breaths   Q. Do we check for breathing when a choking patient falls unconscious? A. there is no need for this step as we assume current respiration is not adequate for cerebral perfusion and this has led to a decrease in consciousness   If a choking person falls unconscious should an AED be used? NO. An AED is used in sudden cardiac arrest. The choking patient is unconscious due to inadequate cerebral oxygen supply.     Bleeding Q.What is the correct procedure if there is an object in the wound? A. Do not remove the object. Wrap the bandages around the object.   Q.Why do you remove all the bandages before applying another layer once you have two layers over the wound?  A. this allows you to easily assess whether the wound is continuing to bleed. It also easier to maintain compression over the wound than with lots of bandages. As you are only removing the bandages if it bleeds through you aren’t removing a clot as one will not have completely formed if the wound is still bleeding.   Passing the course Q: What if I miss sessions or fail my first attempt at the exam? A: Candidates usually take a re-test the same night. See the flow chart for a full explanation.

Last Updated ( Tuesday, 04 August 2009 )

 

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