I just read a survivor's story on the American Heart Association (AHA) site, where a woman said that a stranger saved her life with his performing CPR on her until the EMT came (and they had to use the AED, automated external defibrillator, twice, for her heart to start beating).
I noticed the AHA has now simplified the CPR instructions to two steps:
1. Call 911
2. Push hard and fast in the center of the chest
I took a CPR course many years ago, and am not sure if I would know what to do in a true emergency?! I remember checking for a pulse (which, is actually tricky to do!), check for signs of breathing, open airway by tilting head (are you stil supposed to do this? What about if person may have a neck injury from the fall?).
Have you ever had to perform CPR on a loved one or on a stranger? Did you know what to do? Have you taken a CPR course...would you know what to do today if you needed to perform CPR? How often should you re-take the course, or is there a way to practice and keep up these skills?