Hey guys,

I need some recommendations for a CPR mask. My agency only gives out those keychain face shields which I think are a pain in the you know what to use. So what I'm wanting is a pocket style mask. It won't be used with a bag.

Thanks

I understand from recent CPR certification that breathing is no longer a recommended component and compression is all that's involved. Are you guys still being taught to do mouth to mouth as part of it?

Yeah you don't have to use the breathing anymore.
Having said that get you an ambu bag.
Drop by the ER or ask an EMT out on a call to give you one.
I keep one in a bag in the trunk. Have used them a few times.

When I did my re-cert in October breaths were still part of the practical.

We typically don't respond to medical calls unless the person is in dire need of medical attention (ie. not breathing, unresponsive, OD) where we can arrive before EMS.

If you haven't made friends in your local ambulance bay, you're already behind the curve.  I bought a bag for my car and for $20, they filled it completely up.

Without an advanced airway you're probably just filling up their stomach anyway.

I wouldn't worry too much about a pocket mask, if you are feeling exceptionally Ricky Rescue go with the BVM.

As stated above, compressions are the way to go anymore. Especially with witnessed arrests, your oxygen hemoglobin saturation is enough that you can go upwards of 5 minutes without any serious airway interventions. Position the head properly while doing CPR and you will still get air movement with the compressions, albeit minimal.

Even for us medics we are only tossing in an airway device, OPA or NPA and applying a face mask with 15 liters of O2 for the first 4-5 minutes of an arrest anyway. We focus on early and uninterrupted chest compressions, defibrillation, and IV access for arrest meds, all before we even consider any advanced airways or manual ventilation. They are even frowning on field intubations anymore because of how long they take while no CPR is being performed. They are pushing LMA's and King's on us in a big way because they can be done without halting compressions and are damn near idiot proof.

As a volunteer firefighter in the nineties, I used one of the little keychain guys to start CPR by myself on two separate occasions. The first occasion, the guy lived for about 6 months then went into cardiac arrest again and died. The second time, he was dead and stayed dead.

After that, I bought a bag valve mask of the same type my department used and the rescue squads and County EMS used so I could get a replacement if I use mine. Of course after that, I never had to start one man CPR ever again.

Buy a BVM and keep away the dead guys

This style has always done me right.  No fluids and a good seal.

OP, PM me your address and I'll just send you a few... pocket face mask and plastic face shields. The key to the supply closet is 'hidden' on the shelf next to the door for a reason 

I'll respectfully raise you one further and say never do mouth to mouth with anything but a real ambu bag/pocket face mask. The plastic face shields are shit and actual people aren't clean, sterile and completely free of any bodily fluids being aspirated out of their mouth and nose all over the place like the pretty little mannequins are.

I carry one of those micro mini plastic face shields on my keychain, and its there only for use for those on 'the list' (loved ones, people I know and care about) and even then only when protocol dictates. Otherwise I have pretty much stashed pocket face masks everywhere you can think of, and even then its realistically only gonna get used if/when a second rescuer shows up anyway. 

Check out the CPR pocket mask made by a company called Laerdal.  Here is a link:

http://www.laerdal.com/us/doc/113/Laerdal-Pocket-Mask

NOTHING, you are better off doing continuous compressions to keep the pressure up in the heart.