CPR - Y?

At school today we had "CPR" Training, for all the teachers involved in sponsoring sports and after school activities.  I wasn't sure what to expect, but the 2-2.5 hour class ended up being extremely interesting.  We learned CPR and the "Heimlich" Maneuver.


Having never learned CPR, there were a lot of informational tid-bits that I didn't know prior to today.  For example, apparently they change the protocol for CPR every 5-10 years.  No, the actual process doesn't change, but little things can.  Like, for example, it is now customary to use a barrier between your mouth and the other person's mouth if such a barrier is available.  Why?  Simple put, with all the different diseases (think Aids, Hepatitis, etc) having a barrier between your mouths protects both parties.  Now, granted, since most CPR is done within family, you probably already know the ins-and-outs of your family members, so it's not so vital, but, nonetheless, that is one change.  Another, is that the number of pushes on the person chest changes.  Right now it's 30.  30 presses, 2 breaths, repeated 5 times.  According to our fire chief / instructor, they (the CPR Gods) are debating moving the number of chest compressions up from 30 to 50, which would change procedure from 30 compressions / 2 breaths, to 50 compressions / 2 breaths.  Interesting.


I also learned some cool things, like:  How to do the Heimlich maneuver, or that the Heimlich family is suing for royalties, so they have "unofficially" changed the name to something basic like "Choking Procedure", or that if you're doing CPR on a child aged 1-8 that you use only 1 hand instead of 2 during the chest compressions, and finally, the entire reason we do CPR is to keep Grandpa "away from the light," as our instructor so comically explained.  


Honestly, I highly recommend the class for every person.  Apparently in Washington State it is required in school that everyone learn the procedure, so they are the state with the highest number of citizens versed in CPR.  Therefore, should you ever decide to have a heart attack or become unconscious, I highly recommend getting yourself and your heart over to Washington State.  Otherwise, best of luck, and, although I am "trained" now, I would just prefer that you keep breathing on your own.  Thanks!