Big Country

I’m new as well, so anyone feel free to correct me if I’m wrong. I would think their logic would be that circulating blood to the brain and other vital organs would be a higher priority than giving breathes. Since the care for an unconscious choking patient includes giving chest compressions, that would expel any embedded airway obstructions. However, for a foreign object just sitting in the back of the pharynx, the movement might actually cause it to slide further in. But I would think if they were unconscious from lack of air, the most likely scenario would be the object was stuck. I also teach CPR for the Red Cross, and they explained that this change could also possibly help lay responders perform better. Many lay responders are afraid to do mouth-to-mouth on a stranger, so starting with chest compressions would give them a little more confidence and the mindset that “I’m already in this, might as well see it through.” (Just a side note on that—the Red Cross is so concerned with lay responder fears that they teach a “compression only” class, but that’s another story.) Hope I helped! --Big Country

Hello all, I'm new to this site. I've passed my EMT-B state course, but still need to take my NREMT. I eventually plan to join the military as a Navy Corpsman. I thought I'd join this site to help expand my knowledge of medicine. --Big Country