Is there any evidence of any health care worker ever catching anything from giving mouth to mouth? So, really more fear mongering for companies to make millions selling all these barrier devices
The advantage of working in a hospital, I know what my patients and some co-workers have. If a patient is coming to the hospital because they are sick, they may also have other existing conditions and infections. If a healthy child jumps into the backyard pool and drowns, that may be a different situation.
The hospitals I work for have a strict policy: No Mouth to Mouth. If Mouth to Mouth is done, workmen's comp may be denied. This is made very clear.
Here are the diseases that have been documented to have been transmitted during CPR:
herpes simplex
Neisseria meningitidis
TB
salmonella
shigella
Neisseria gonorrhoeae
Streptococcus pyogenes
Hep C and HIV: but only when direct contact with blood and a break in the providers skin. Hep C being the easier of the two to be contracted.
Review of the risk of salivary transmission of the major communicable diseases was found to be exceedingly low or nonexistent with the possible exception of CMV, which is a concern for women of childbearing age.
You will find references to these in the CPR manuals and the literature that has been used to support Compressions Only CPR as well as the earlier editions for infection control. Those of you that have been around awhile will know the most incidences of disease spreading occurred during CPR classes until barriers become mandatory. Just wiping the manikin mouth off with alcohol between students wasn't getting the job done.
The reason more diseases have not been documented is the reason Compressions Only CPR has been promoted. Also, professional healthcare providers, especially those that work in the hospitals and read lab results, know what the possibilities are and will take precautions.
Off duty, I carry a cell phone to call 911. I can teach a family member of the patient to do mouth to mouth in less than 10 seconds. I do not announce to the world I am a Paramedic. I do not have vanity plates on my car nor to I wear some tacky T-shirt announcing my profession.
The companies that make millions selling all these barrier devices know there are "enthusiasts" who want to stuff their car trunks full of these things. These companies primarily sell to schools, training centers and suppliers of first-aid kits. That in itself is profitable.
I am not opposed to having easy access to a barrier device for CPR in an unexpected situation. But, just like condoms, when they are carried around unused for long periods of time, they may provide ineffective protection.
I equate my chance of doing mouth to mouth on someone the same as any other scene safety situation. If the scene is not safe or I do not have the proper equipment, I will do what I can but I will not make their emergency become a permanent part of my medical history if
I can avoid it. I have enough chances for exposure without knowingly and willingly creating another one.
