Wrong: You can skip mouth-to-mouth breathing and use chest compressions alone for cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
Right: Rescue breathing is crucial in near-drowning cases, when the heart stops because of lack of oxygen. Begin rescue breaths at once, even while still in the water. Add chest compressions after reaching a boat or land, giving two breaths after every 30 chest compressions. Don’t use the Heimlich maneuver to try to squeeze water out of the lungs – it’s unnecessary and delays CPR, several expert reviews concur. (The American Heart Association says it is acceptable to skip mouth-to-mouth breathing and focus on chest presses for sudden cardiac arrest caused by heart problems. In such cases – unlike near-drownings – the blood retains enough oxygen to supply vital organs until rescuers arrive.)
Red flags: Call 9-1-1 or get someone else to call before starting CPR, which is only a desperate holding action until rescuers arrive to provide advanced life support. Take a CPR class to learn more details and gain confidence in lifesaving skills. Find a local course by contacting Associated Builders and Contractors of Western Washington, ann@abcwestwa.org, or the American Heart Association (www.americanheart.org).
Sources: Dr. Frank LoVeccihio, Banner Good Samaritan Regional Poison Center in Phoenix, AZ; Dr. Erick Weiss, wilderness medicine fellowship director at Stanford University School of Medicine; the American College of Emergency Physicians; American Family Physician journal; Archives of Dermatology; Wilderness and Environmental Medicine; Joe Rojas-Burke, The Oregonian