r/Damnthatsinteresting • u/Inside-Size-8253 • 7d ago
Video How to Give CPR to Women, Studies Show Women Are 14–27% Less Likely to Receive Help During Cardiac Arrest
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u/ImTedLassosMustache 7d ago
All of the AEDs where I work have scissors in the kits so that you can quickly cut through any clothes (bras included) so that the defibrillator can be attached properly.
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u/Real_Impression_5567 7d ago
A scene in the show the PIT i appreciated so much. I do ekgs and it took forever to get over my uncomfortable feeling of doing it on large breasted women. When the leads are misplaced in the show he goes "ladies raise your hand if you'd rather have your breasts touched or die of a heart attack" of course they raised their hands. Its a real thing thats not talked about enough
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u/kink-dinka-link 7d ago
The quote is more elegant because of writers and it goes "All the women here tell me if you would rather die with modesty or live with nudity!"
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u/dirtydragondan 7d ago
my mind IMMEDIATELY went to that scene in the Pitt.
I knew someone else here would have commented on it! :)
I hope this also gets cross posted over to the Pitt sub, if it hasnt already.50
u/Ok-Turnip-9035 7d ago
Yup
Eye opening as a female and horrifying to see the medics compromising care over not wanting to touch breasts smh
The fact that story made it in tells you how long it’s gone undisclosed
I only realized in Jan 2026 after that episode
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u/neech_uk 7d ago
The scene if anyone was interested in seeing it for themselves
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u/Cha-San 7d ago
Wow, what a scene! I'm so going to watch this show now lol. Amazing.
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u/Itscatpicstime 7d ago
I’m really not a fan of medical dramas generally, but this one is truly excellent on every level
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u/TheWesternDevil 7d ago
The people who sue are the people who want to be saved, but are greedy and sue anyway. Got nothing to do with living and dying and everything to do with greed.
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u/Itscatpicstime 7d ago
Yes, this terrifies me as a large breasted woman with large breasted loved ones.
Just going to add this in the pro column for reduction lol
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u/toolatealreadyfapped 7d ago
The underwire in many bras can also react poorly to an AED. Don't turn a lifesaving attempt into a torture. Get that shit on bare skin
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u/Polymathy1 7d ago edited 7d ago
Can those scissors cut through underwires?
Edit: Many people have pointed out there's no underwire in the middle, where I was thinking it made sense to cut, but I worried about it even after having handled numerous bras.
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u/DieSuzie2112 7d ago
In between the cups there is no underwire. And during first aid training they also advise people to cut the side of the shirt/bra so you can flap it back over their body and they’re not completely exposed.
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u/Church_of_Cheri 7d ago
As a large breasted woman, cut the middle inbetween the breasts. It will pop the bra right off to fall to the sides. Usually it’s a pretty thin fabric area right inbetween the breasts right above the sturnum, quickest and easiest to get the bra off since large breasts naturally will fall to the sides when you’re laying on your back. Please feel free to lift and move our boobs if you’re trying to save our lives, just like all men will adjust their balls for seemingly any reason whatsoever, same type of movement and you’re not hurting us especially if we need CPR or to be monitored for a possible heart attack.
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u/non3type 7d ago
If CPR involved adjusting balls, far more guys would die too.
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u/Polymathy1 7d ago
Lol thanks for the humor.
I thought the underwire did go across the middle, but then I guess they wouldn't fold in half if that were true.
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u/Church_of_Cheri 7d ago
Nope, the underwire goes around the boob like a big U, the bigger the U the bigger the breast. They also tend to rip the fabric at the sides of your cups after a while and then dig into your underarm. Worst things ever, but they do add some support for those of us fighting the sag.
If we can talk about it, normalize it, maybe even see some humor in it, then hopefully it will save some lives in the future. Let me tell you what it’s like to play volleyball or golf, like you have to pick putting your arms together over the breasts or under. It’s so annoying! Do you know how much I wish it was acceptable to adjust my boobs the way guys mess with their junk? Eating a bagel in the morning and some sesame seeds fall into your cleavage and your bra makes sure they annoy you the rest of the day until you can get home and finally take care of it. Seriously, I want ball itching freedom for boobs!
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u/jetpack_hypersomniac 7d ago
You know the underwire doesn’t generally go all the way around the body, yes? You could snip the straps and pull it down, you could snip the sides and yank it off, you could snip the bit between the cups in front and open it like a vest.
There’s plenty of options that don’t involve cutting underwires.
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u/Luminis_The_Cat 7d ago
I did a first air cert recently and they told us we dont need to remove bras for AED if they dont interfere and we can place the pads jist fine
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u/avalonrose14 7d ago
I did my first aid cert again two weeks ago (I get it done every year for free at work) and we were still taught to cut off and remove all clothes including the bra for both AED and CPR. Its probably better to do it over a bra than not at all but I would definitely play it safe and just cut the bra off if I'm ever in that position. Id be so nervous about doing it correctly I wouldn't want the extra stress of worrying about if the bra is getting in the way or effecting anything.
This year was actually the first year the instructor even talked about what to do about breasts and how it was alright to touch them and move them to place the AED. We still only have a male dummy though which sucks. But at least he brought it up this year and we talked through it.
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u/Spare_Document3453 7d ago
What for real, did they have any citations or anything for that? Bras should be removed afaik bare skin only
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u/Luminis_The_Cat 7d ago
From their explanation, as long as you can place the pads on the side of the chest and on the opposite collarbone where the bra strap usually is, a typical bra leaves enough bare skin to be able to place it properly without taking it off
They didn't mention removing it for CPR either, just do it through clothes
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u/NinjaMcGee 7d ago
I’m a community health administrator and my wife is large chested. I was NEVER instructed using a female dummy. Never!
This kind of stuff could save my wife’s life. I hope it becomes universal!
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u/Reyalta 7d ago
As a community health administrator please bring it up wherever you can in a professional capacity!
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u/NinjaMcGee 7d ago
Thanks for the reminder. I just texted my buddy who trains local EMTs. Hopefully he can get some female rigs in rotation! 🥰
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u/Reyalta 7d ago
Awesome! When we last did our cpr practice at our local volunteer firehall I asked about female dummies, I already knew about the awful statistics, unfortunately we're a small hall with not a huge cashflow, but I'm thinking I'll talk to my chief about doing a fundraiser to acquire at least one.
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u/katybee13 7d ago
On here to let everyone know, give me CPR! Cut my damn clothes off.
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u/SouldiesButGoodies84 7d ago
Second this, and I have bosoms. Shift those fuckers if I'm arresting!
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u/DeLosCuervos 7d ago
Been AED / CPR certified my whole life and specifically asked my trainer the first time how to perform CPR on women with large breasts. He looks at me and says, "They do move, ya know?" Never unlearned that lesson.
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u/HisPumpkin19 7d ago edited 7d ago
Yep. Unless they are fake, as soon as you cut that bra you about to find out why they call them "scaffolding". They will just neatly flip out of your way mostly.
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u/Odd_Prompt_6139 7d ago
Yeah if you take my bra off my boobs are leaving the room lol you can tuck them under my armpits and do your thing
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u/SouldiesButGoodies84 7d ago
Slightly off-topic but couldn't resist - this being one of my most favorite commercials in 30-plus bosomed yrs on the planet and even if it is just about hawking suds to the ladies.
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u/ThrowawayAICS 7d ago
When I got my first aid training the reason we were told to be careful and keep our head on a swivel when giving first aid to women in public is because of "the public".
People get it in their heads that you're being a pervert grabbing at her or undressing her.
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u/Sherry_Brandt 7d ago
did they provide advice on how to address it? like, do you do something particular in a similar way to the way you're supposed to point to someone and say 'you call 911' instead of just yelling it out?
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u/ThrowawayAICS 7d ago
Apparently it even happens to ambulance personell in full uniform on occassion. So there isnt really a level of obviousness that is going to fix it entirely.
Just make it obvious what you are doing, enlist and delegate people around you to do things so they are part of it. Active people dont do dumb shit.
And if the worst happens, just be ready to throw down.7
u/Sherry_Brandt 7d ago
thank you. i feel like the plan i'm imagining now is that the first person i'd see i'd be like 'call 911 and then stand guard and tell people this is cpr'
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u/grammarly_err 7d ago
Im chunky with big titties, please give me CPR, I'll buy your beer later.
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u/Sirdoodlebob 7d ago
😭😭😭 I can imagine your soul being like “GOD DAMNIT BE A MAN AND CUT MY FUCKING BRA OFF IM FUCKING DYING I CAN SEE THE LORD”
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u/Evelynmaebe 7d ago
If u cut my bra off my boobs will be in my arm pits and you will have all the room in the world to do CPR lol
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u/TrustmeimHealer 7d ago
The real issue is with the Aed pads that need to go exactly where the breast falls on one side. You have to grab it, pull up and attach the pad
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u/UnluckyHazards 7d ago
I did some aid/trauma training for work recently and when it came to covering CPR/Chest Seals/Wound Sweeping/Cutting clothes…all that stuff…the instructors demonstrated everything on a female actor.
They specifically asked why they used her and nobody else and it was to eliminate the “social fear” of aiding a woman by performing all the normal things you’d do to literally anyone else. They literally said “Get the fuck over it and save her life, that’s all that matters here and that’s all anyone is going to care about, whether you saved this person or not.”
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u/jemi1976 7d ago
OMG if I was a man in that class I would be so damn offended. Like really lady?? You think the men are gonna want to hump the cpr torso because it has boobs?? Sicko
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u/Floofy_Fox_Gal 7d ago
Common consensus is that a lot of people are afraid of being labeled a pervert because they touched a woman’s breasts. Practice dummies for CPR are largely modeled after men, and so even if someone does try to help a woman going through cardiac arrest, they’re still less likely to perform CPR correctly, due to not being trained on how to perform it on different body types.
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u/I_love_pillows 7d ago edited 7d ago
Is Resusci-Anne no longer used. When I was learning first aid all the CPR dummies were women.
Also don’t find out whose face was used on the dummy it’s a sad story.
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u/Ajishly 7d ago edited 7d ago
Resusci-Anne is a female face with a male torso. They chose to use her face because it was less awkward for the male students to do CPR on a woman's face rather than a man's.
The distinctive face of Resusci Anne was based on L'Inconnue de la Seine (English: The unknown woman of Seine), the death mask of an unidentified young woman reputedly drowned in the River Seine around the late 1880s. Toymaker Åsmund S. Lærdal chose to use a woman's face on the mannequin as he thought male trainees might be reluctant to kiss a man's face The face was sculpted by the Norwegian-Danish sculptor Emma Matthiasen. - Resusci Anne wiki page
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u/NoGlzy 7d ago
God humans are so funny.
Don't want the fellas thinking Im gay and smooching a boy corpse mannequin
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u/jetty_life 7d ago
Weird at my fire station we requested a male dummy specifically for the smooching.
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u/adams6900 7d ago
Absolutely mental to change the face for that they should focus on teaching it doesn’t matter who or what it is, it’s just a fucking body… and one that needs help and you have the chance to keep alive
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u/I_love_pillows 7d ago
Mine had breasts. Or maybe it’s just moobs.
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u/Ajishly 7d ago
Pectoral muscles, pecs.
I think there are maybe 2-3 resuscitation models with female anatomy globally, the one in the video is one type. I've seen one kind of jerry-rigged resuscitation model made by a female doctor who worked in obstetrics and if I remember correctly she made it because they weren't available with female anatomy where she was.
I went on a deep dive last time this came up... some CPR trainers use uh... silicone breast vests as a low budget fix. There are "real" aka, made for the resuscitation model breast plate/attachments... but I couldn't find more on them as a private person though.
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u/Floofy_Fox_Gal 7d ago
Depends on the place. In my high school we only used a male dummy.
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u/nlamber5 7d ago
I mean it’s not that sad. She drown in a river. Maybe it was suicide, but it could have also just been an accident. People die all the time, but this person lives on in countless mannequins working to save lives.
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u/InsatiableEndurance 7d ago
Also, even medical professionals don’t always place leads properly on EKGs or AEDs because they’re trying to be discreet and avoid the bra and breasts, so women may not even have their evolving heart attack diagnosed until someone corrects the leads or the patient arrests. I’ve seen this happen pre-hospital and in the hospital, unfortunately. We’re actually a fairly puritanical society around nudity and sexualizing women’s breasts in the US, but studies show it’s not only an issue here- it’s a global issue.
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u/TheLastGunslingerCA 7d ago
Took a first aid course a couple years ago, and cpr was a big thing we covered. It's 100% this.
Semi related, people often don't press hard enough during cpr. The ribs will break if you're doing it right, and at the point you're doing cpr broken bones won't make someone More dead.
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u/Black_Cat_Just_That 7d ago
I've taken CPR training a few times for work now. Knowing that people often don't press hard enough, I gave it my all the first time. The guy was like "ok ok we're not TRYING to break the ribs!" 😂
Our trainers use a sensor thing on the dummy that tells you if you're using the right amount of force. It was very very helpful.
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u/pichael289 7d ago
The real reason people get in trouble for CPR is actually causing injury, so it might also be that some people are afraid of hurting a woman as well.
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u/No-Apple-2581 7d ago
Lol this literally happened in Taiwan. I can only find the news article in Chinese unfortunately.
Basically a female elementary school teacher fainted at school. Someone reported to school security and one male security guard went to help. The security guard performed CPR and mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.
She then sued him for sexual assault - for touching her breasts and "attempted" to stick his tongue into her mouth.
First Instance Court ruled that the security guard is innocent based on the surveillance camera footage and that CPR and mouth-to-mouth resuscitation was performed in front of many other bystanders and that wasn't anything abnormal.
Second Instance Court ruled that the security guard is guilty and sentenced him 8 months in prison. The reasons are (total bullshit by the way): (1) the camera footage wasn't able to capture the full CPR+mouth-to-mouth resuscitation process (2) security guard has been working at the elementary school for 4+ years so he knows where the blind spots of the surveillance cameras are. It is "possible" that the security guard took the chance and sexually assaulted the teacher during all the chaos.
So yeah...
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u/wearing_moist_socks 7d ago
Wait
She fainted
But was she breathing?
Edit: thy fuck?? You didn't include she WOKE UP DURING THE CPR
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u/bubblegumpandabear 7d ago
Why aren't you including that she woke up during the event? You're making it sound like she woke up saved and got mad.
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u/thud_mantooth 7d ago
That's an awfully selective summary of the article.
Why didn't you mention that the witness testimony showed the guard didn't perform CPR?
Or the inconsistencies in the guard's testimony?
Or that the judge in the first case acquitted because the they thought he would've taken her somewhere secluded if he'd truly intended to be indecent?
Or that there's security camera footage of him touching her in ways that don't exactly sound like CPR? I've never heard of applying CPR to an upright person, have you?
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u/Annodyne 7d ago
Because this site is mostly dudes, and they support the "women ☕ amirite?" narrative any chance they get. This comment is a perfect example.
Every. Single. Time. the CPR issue comes up, you'll see thousands of comments from men saying they'll skip trying to save a women's life because they don't want this fake story to happen to them. Its fucking ridiculous.
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u/theymademedoitpdx2 7d ago
People are hesitant to touch a woman’s chest, even though it’s a medical emergency. Most CPR classes don’t have breasts on their training dummies
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u/rkorgn 7d ago
Another poster pointed out the resusci annie models used for CPR training in the UK are female. Just without large breasts.
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u/Generic_Garak 7d ago
Unfortunately that is not true for the United States. And judging by the presenters accent, it seems like this is sold or targeted to the US. I’m a nurse in the US and I’ve never seen a female training dummy :/
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u/FlyOne6324 7d ago
Wish those where mandatory everywhere.
I'm a Spanish EMT and we got four different dummies, but somehow not a single one of them was female.
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u/Every_Application_26 7d ago
They were very careful to say they don't know why, including the possibility of women who need CPR being older:
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u/TopConcentrate8484 7d ago edited 7d ago
if this was some meme sub I would have commented breast, but I think that's what indirectly it is because of fear of SA charges men don't help, we live in a society man not everything works by logic.
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u/Elvin_Excretion 7d ago
Id imagine most are scared to label as a predator for touching their breast. If thats not the reason than we as humans suck
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u/signedpants 7d ago
Very easy to be accused of being a pervert/sexual harassment if you're doing that. Doesnt matter if the court finds you innocent, that accusation stays forever and permanently ruins your life.
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u/tooshorttoored 7d ago
Read the rest of the thread. Good to know how many will just let me die.
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u/BakingSoda1990 7d ago
As a guy with level 2 first aid. I’ve preached to my company to get people of both genders trained cause I’m not risking a sexual assault allegation because someone perceives my actions as perverted when I’m just trying to help.
I have 0 trust in random people and assume they’ll always be out to screw me, no matter how kind, or helpful I am.
Cause that’s how it’s always been for me when I try to help 😀. Get fucked right after for it.
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u/mammalmaker 7d ago
Context seems to be partially because men don't want to be accused of groping so they will not help or give improper help to avoid touching the woman's breasts.
The Pitt featured this in an episode.
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u/LordJeanDog 7d ago
crazy work. I didn't know women were so much less likely to be helped. I would like to think I wouldn't spare it a thought. it's life and death. her life is on the line. ridiculous
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u/EightEqualsSignD 7d ago
Stethoscopes were invented because doctors (all male, of course) didn't want to put their ear up to a woman's chest like they did for men.
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u/Ok_Intention1222 7d ago
That makes sense but also stethoscopes are way more effective and sanitary
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u/Canadish27 7d ago
Disability ramps on roads were added for wheelchair users, but it also turns out it helps out ol' Grandma's and baby pram pushers. It's Curb Cut Effect.
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u/ZakuIII 7d ago
That's part of the issue though.
'I would like to think I'
But no one knows what they'll do until they're in the situation and your monkey brain is in control. And if you haven't trained something, and the more specific the better, you're not going to be ready to handle it in the moment. It's why the discussions on practicing on female models, practicing having to move a breast matter.
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u/jlck_ 7d ago
its moreso apprehensiveness towards what other onlookers may assume you’re trying to do. having to deal with a potential SA headache when you’re trying to help is why many male healthcare workers refuse to accept or be alone in the room with similarly aged/young female patients
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u/thickbeardgoggles 7d ago
I do CPR training every 2 years and they are very clear about how to perform it on women. Someone whose heart has stopped beating has no modesty because they are essentially dead. It’s literally a last resort to save their life. No reasonable person is framing it as SA
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u/thickbeardgoggles 7d ago
CPR is only done on people whose hearts are not beating, so there is no amount of embarrassment they are ever able to feel about being brought back from certain death. Break their ribs and touch their boobs if it means a chance at life.
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u/Neuhart_ 7d ago
Was an EMT in my early 20’s. The idea that breast would prevent anyone from performing CPR to me is wild. Unless they have a DNR bracelet, they were getting CPR.
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u/Love_Tits_In_DM 7d ago
Well emt and a regular person who is cpr certified is def different. No one’s gonna bat an eye if a uniformed emt shows up with a kit and removes clothing and does cpr. But if regular looking Joe Shmoe is a bystander he’s absolutely gonna have second thoughts lol. And if he does go through with it some people are def gonna look at him weird if only for a minute.
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u/Historical_Body6255 7d ago
See and exactly this is the issue.
Anyone looking weirdly at a person rendering CPR should rather ask themselves why they are just standing on the sidelines while someone is dying with nothing better to do than judging someone actively trying to save a life.
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u/StitchinThroughTime 7d ago
This reminds me of why a stethoscope was invented. Male doctors didn't want to actually touch the female patient. To hear the lungs or a heartbeat of someone, they used to just put their head right on their chest, but that's for male patients. For female patients they couldn't do that. They might have had a female nurse help them. But it took for one man to finally realize that he put a tube up to his ear to hear a woman's heartbeat while keeping decent for both parties.
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u/violet_dawnbreak 7d ago
As a woman, I would rather be exposed in front of strangers for a while than die because nobody dared to help me. I want to live lol
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u/BangBangMeatMachine 7d ago
Fun fact, in the event of a certain biological weapons attacks, the best way to minimize risk is to strip and shower as quickly as possible, but disaster planners have faced a lot of struggles with the fact that a lot of Americans are reluctant to strip to save their lives.
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u/allergictocheese 7d ago
The fucking broccoli head laughing in the background after the instructor was talking about lifting a breast pissed me all the way off.
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u/Omni__Owl 7d ago
I did a first aid course where we had to also use female mannequins.
What the instructor told us was "Woman or man, you can't make it worse, they are already dead."
With an opening line like that, the absurdity of "Oh but what if I am seen as a pervert?" just evaporated.
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u/_Lady_Vengeance_ 7d ago
What will get people over the fear is when the culture becomes less litigious
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u/ArxisOne 7d ago
Litigation is the least of your worries, a court case can end and will probably go in your favor, online harrassment will never stop.
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u/hyrellion 7d ago
My friend recently took a CPR training where they were told to not remove someone’s bra before placing an AED, because, supposedly, people got sued for taking off someone’s bra. That is the stupidest thing I can imagine. Leaving clothes on can interfere with the AED’s ability to function, and if the bra has underwire can cause severe burns from the electricity. Don’t do that. Just take the fucking bra off.
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u/Truestorydreams 7d ago
At work we need yearly cpr training and since it's a hospital, the male female ratio is more women than men. During training you will likely get a woman parter and every year you can see how awkward it gets. We try to be professional about it, but... There's always that anxiety
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u/Spare_Document3453 7d ago
If someone doesn't save my life because of modesty I'm haunting the shit out of them
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u/diewitasmile 7d ago
Thank you for posting this. This is great information especially when I have women in my life I care about.
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u/Jangonett1 7d ago
Hey man if it meant having to move my balls out of the way to save my life… just do it…. Unless it’s my boss then to my boss just let me die.
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u/IndicationSuitable11 7d ago
Now they need to make dummies with actual movable breast tissue, a solid lump wont teach much about how to move them out of the way or how breasts move around
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u/whitewarrsh 7d ago
Im just gunna take my shirt off too to make it a little less weird.
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u/bored_ryan2 7d ago
The HBO show The Pitt had a scene about this. Paramedics put one AED pad too low on a woman with large breasts in cardiac arrest.
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u/ColdToast_024 7d ago
Because boobs?
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u/Nice__Spice 7d ago
Because fear of being sued or labeled I guess.
But I’d like to see actual studies and or figures.
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u/Deep-Technician5378 7d ago
Bystander CPR rates are shit anyways. Cannot tell you the amount of ones I have showed up on with some dumbfuck standing there that refused CPR instructions from dispatch and did nothing.
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u/ObligatoryID 7d ago
MN Guy just saved a man using CPR in Glacier:
https://www.sfgate.com/national-parks/article/glacier-tourist-rescue-22395085.php
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u/Deep-Technician5378 7d ago
I know bystander CPR happens. I respond to probably 4-10 arrests a month, give or take. The amount of times a bystander is actually performing CPR is a very low percentage.
Most of the time they are standing there and staring, despite our dispatch being very competent at coaching them through it.
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u/critical-drinking 7d ago
Glad people are working on this, and glad he’s being frank, professional and open about it. I’d be nervous, and I hate the idea of being too nervous to help someone.
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u/Broccobillo 7d ago
My fear isn't touching her breast it the bystanders jumping me
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u/QuickEchidna749 7d ago
Is there specific training that can help me become more comfortable with touching and handling large breasts? /s
Diversity in medical training matters so much and this is a prime example why.
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u/Ok_Mention_9865 7d ago
The fear of this didn't come from no where, I'm not a medical professional I,m not doing anything more than attempting to stop bleeding and calling 911.
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u/casz_m 7d ago edited 7d ago
This is sad. I was a first aid instructor for years, the first thing we train is identifying as a first aider and asking for consent. If people are so starved for touch that they interpret life saving techniques as groping our society has a huge problem.
ETA rescue breathing is no longer taught because many first aid kits do not include masks and chest compressions can provide enough air exchange.
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u/MercuryAct2 7d ago
A dude in korea did cpr for a woman and later got sued for sexual assault by the woman he saved One instance was a dude who was studying to be a fire rescue personnel and saved a young girl by a creak undoing her bra during the process, he saved the girl and she was transported to the hospital, he later got sued by the father for touching the girls breast and cracking her rib
I understand this video and the message that we should know how to do cpr for women and not hesitate to do it but as a korean I am never doing it to a woman because I have my own life and plans and family to look after and a sexual assault allegation would ruin my prospects for social life
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u/Michaeli_Starky 7d ago
I can't do it because it's a woman?.. The most infantile thing to say. It's a human's life! You do it. Just do it.
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u/StevenMarx21 7d ago
Its funny how its basically impossible to speak on this topic without coming off as a pervert, but its also exactly why one should; there should be women mannequines, and there should be women mannequins with large breasts. Exactly to conquer that discomfort.
It sound silly, but when you are in a room full of people who would rather be something else, taking the course because its mandatory, and everyone is being goofy and silly, having to deal with that embarassment, would be a good way to build up tolerance to that awkwardness when it actually happens. People do not provide first aid, because its stinky and awkward. People who are having a health issue might stink, they might be gross, but that doesn't mean they do not deserve to live.
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u/lord_fairfax 7d ago
Pretty sure you just need to not be a weirdo and push hard enough on their chest to make their heart pump blood.
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u/Dutch_Rayan 7d ago
I have my CPR training every year at work, and the women instructors always also have a breasted dummy, the men sometimes.
But those have often still small breasts, so not that much difference as the men dummies
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u/Warfiend138 7d ago
Locking this as there are too many juvenile comments.
Also just a bit of context too, this training is being delivered by Huddle for Hearts, they deliver CPR and AED training to Amercan High School and College students and parents specifically athletes. The training is driven by the Payron Walker Foundation, the foundation was created following the passing of Payton at the age of 19 who suffered a Sudden Cardiac Arrest.
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u/DrHoodMD 7d ago edited 7d ago
If you're a bystander and not doing the CPR , you could always take off your jacket and use it as a privacy screen of sorts around the both of them.
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u/Scott_Liberation 7d ago edited 7d ago
I haven't had a job that required CPR training in like 20 years, so my memory is fuzzy. I don't remember removing clothes being a requirement for proper CPR at all. Is that a thing that started in the last couple decades, or did I just forget?
edit: I do vaguely remember when I was in the US Navy, at least one first aid training where we were told that if removing a woman's top was necessary (like for treating a chest wound) to take reasonable steps to protect her modesty. And I remember thinking, "fuck that. If I'm giving first aid to a woman with a sucking chest wound, I give zero fucks about her modesty. I'm not sparing a moment to think about that. We have bigger problems."
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u/TallulahBob 7d ago
Am big chested lady. Touch what you gotta touch to get shit outta the way if you’re saving my life.
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u/FishTshirt 7d ago
Nobody wants to be sued unfortunately
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u/Atreideeeznuts 7d ago
People arguing against this but it goes through people's minds whether it's a genuine possibility or not.
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u/TokenTorkoal 7d ago
Please don’t do this.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32259608/?utm
https://www.heart.org/en/news/2019/11/13/worried-about-legal-risk-of-doing-cpr-inaction-is-riskier
Please stop adding to the environment that creates a situation where women are less likely to receive care for fear of things that just aren’t happening in a meaningful way.
And sure you could go find a few “sources” to try to prove me wrong, but you’ll never find enough “evidence” that warrants the justification of men hesitating to save women for “fear of their lives being ruined.”
Please, let’s all do better.
Edit: statistically you are far more likely to be sued for doing nothing or doing something too late.
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u/helgetun 7d ago
We may not be sued, but unfortunately men do live in fear of social repercussions for "inappropriate touching" today. Its not the women having the heart attack’s fault, but I think as they show in the video in this post, its important to remove stigma. Have to tear a womans blouse of to do proper CPR? Do it! Have to lift her breasts? Do it! Unfortunately people are worried (perhaps for no reason) of what people who watch that will say or do.
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u/TokenTorkoal 7d ago
We remove the stigma by having conversations like this.
It’s not that I don’t understand where it comes from.
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u/Forbidden_Cheese1 7d ago
Problem is I’m not sure that we will ever clear the stigma. We live in a time where women will actively avoid male touch at all costs and any physical touch is leading to potential accusations of inappropriate behaviour. The amount of women that I’ve heard say and be quite vocally outraged by the idea of having a male gynaecologist and that’s whilst the woman is conscious let alone whilst they potentially are unconscious.
I agree that there needs to be less stigma around it as women are at higher risk of not receiving CPR which is terrible. However, we also can’t gloss over the reasons as to why we have got here in the first place. This is not exclusively a situation of men being more willing to take a risk of physically touching a stranger who happens to be a woman, but also for women to meet in the middle and accept that not every man is there to harm them.
I think unfortunately, these mind sets are almost internet exclusive, however, people are becoming more and more reliant socially on the internet. We all see the headlines that show the extreme cases and assume that all are like this as we all see it so often.
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u/CaptainMacMillan 7d ago
Lol you missed the forest for the trees. The hesitation isn't about doing CPR to a woman, it's about doing CPR to ANYONE.
People are assholes and will sue you into the dirt the second they regain consciousness if they think it will make them a bag. I've almost been on the other end of false litigation like that and let me tell you, I will NEVER risk my finances, future, or freedom for a person I am not legally obligated to ever again.
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u/madfishguy 7d ago
yes, also nobody wants to get beat up by uninformed guys after removing the clothes of an unconscious woman
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u/zizillama 7d ago
When I was lifeguard, we didn’t have a female dummy, just a male one. Looking back, a female dummy would have been really helpful. I wouldn’t know where to put the defibrillator pads; even the pictures on the actual defibrillator we had showed a man.
So even if we disregard the men here being like “I don’t wanna be sued for being a pervert!” As a woman who would try to help, I just now realized I might not know how to do it properly (and that’s a good way to injure someone and get sued).
Think I wanna get re-certified lol.