Thursday, February 08, 2007

Everybody's An Expert

Back in our hotel room after a swim we turn on the TV and see the news that Anna Nicole Smith has died. In the middle of the usual baseless speculations CNN puts Dr. Sanjay Gupta on the screen explaining what paramedics do when they find someone unconscious and unresponsive on the floor.

Dr. Gupta says that you check the airway, check the breathing, then you intubate the person, and then you check for a heartbeat...

"That's wrong," Mark said. "You check the airway, give a few rescue breaths, and then you check for a heartbeat. If you don't find one you defibrillate immediately."

Then he said, "The protocols changed about five or six years ago, but, hey, he's the one on national TV talking about this stuff." Shrug.

So, don't believe everything you see. Or read. Or hear. Check, and double-check. Heck, I'm triple-checking Mark right now. These says, being a hard-core skeptic is the only way to safely get across the street.

posted by Gene @ 4:08 PM   |