Join Us This Tuesday!
MEDBASICS at Baby Bites NYC
June 2, 2009 12-2 pm

	Every mom who attends this luncheon will take home a travel pack, your essential what to do guide to infant emergencies on the go.

If your baby

is choking...

stops breathing...

is bleeding...

Do you know what to do? Does your babysitter?

Don't worry, if your baby needs medical help you can do it and Luke Hermann MD and Tara Summers-Hermann RN, BSN will show you how.

Discover the most common choking hazards and how the steps to saving your infant are different than saving your toddler. Learn why you hold direct pressure to a cut and find out the truth about tourniquets. When your baby has a fever, know when to call the doctor and how high is too high. Find out how to create a safer environment for your little one.

Other topics include SIDS, animal bites, falls, drowning, and allergic reactions.

Knowledge = Love

Love your baby, know what to do.

Tara Summers-Hermann, RN, BSN is the co-founder and President of MEDBASICS, LLC. After years of specializing in Cardiology , she traded full time nursing for full time motherhood with the birth of her first son, Nicholas. After a choking episode involving her son, she and her physician husband started MEDBASICS, LLC. Tara is an AHA Certified BCLS instructor with her primary focus being infant and toddler CPR/ first-aid courses. She lives in New York City with her husband Luke and 2 sons, Nicholas and Oliver. Luke Hermann, MD is the co-founder and Vice-President of MEDBASICS, LLC. Dr. Hermann is a practicing emergency physician on academic faculty at a major New York Hospital.

Wednesday's Results...

Which two are true and which one is not?

1. Brain damage from lack of oxygen (when your baby stops breathing) begins in 4 minutes and death shortly thereafter. TRUE

This statistic is why it is crucial to begin care as soon as possible when your child stops breathing. The American Heart Association states, if you are alone with your child, give 2 minutes of CPR then call 911. If someone else is with you have them call 911 while you begin giving CPR. A lot of parents believe that calling 911 is enough... it's not.

2. The average time for EMS to respond to a 911 call is 8 minutes. TRUE

There have been several studies conducted through the years regarding EMS response time. One interesting article I found was written by Gary Ludwig MS, EMT-P entitled, "EMS Response Time Standards" . Ludwig states, "First, there is no federal law regarding response times, and, after doing thorough research, I cannot find any state laws that pertain to response times. There are some contractual agreements between EMS providers and political subdivisions that stipulate response times, and some political subdivisions enter and ratify these contractual agreements into ordinances. But most of the contractual agreements or ordinances are directed toward private EMS providers. Most of these communities have established standards of eight minutes or less 90% of the time for ALS service. Some municipalities, especially in California, have even moved response time standards to 12 or 15 minutes for private EMS providers 90% of the time, but these are usually coordinated with ALS first response."

Parents, combine the information from question 1 with this knowledge and now you have a solid statistical reason for why you and everyone you know should be able to save your baby if necessary. Know what to do.

3. When trying to clear a blocked airway, if the object hasn't been removed after 5 minutes you should just stop trying. FALSE

If the obstruction is caused by food, it may start dissolving and become dislodged. No matter what the obstruction, becoming unconscious allows your baby's airway to relax slightly making it easier to clear the object. Do not give up. Remember medical help is on the way.

Tuesday's Two Truths and a Non-truth
It's about TIME!

1. Brain damage from lack of oxygen (when your baby stops breathing) begins in 4 minutes and death shortly thereafter.
2. The average time for EMS to respond to a 911 call is 8 minutes.
3. When trying to clear a blocked airway, if the object hasn't been removed after 5 minutes you should just stop trying.

Which 2 are true, which one is not? I'll post the answers tomorrow.

One More Bicycle Safety Tip You Must Share With Your Little Ones...

Oliver (my 2 year old) and I were headed to Central Park Wednesday morning for a lovely game of mommy-son baseball. Per usual, he was riding his like-a-bike, helmet on, wearing brightly colored clothing, following "the rules" and looking absolutely darling doing it. 

We had the walk signal and were crossing the street when all of a sudden he stopped right in the middle of Columbus Avenue... would not move. Wouldn't go back to where we started, wouldn't finish crossing the street to where we were going. The light was still red but cars were beginning to line up across the 3 lanes that make up Columbus. "Come on Ollie, lets go play baseball... come Oliver... hurry up Love, it's almost the cars turn to go..." Oliver by this point has whole heartedly committed to this impromptu game of chicken and after several requests I begin to feel panicked. "Why is he doing this?" I think as he's yelling at me in his 2 year old voice to "NO, go, just go". I realize I am totally having one of those "mom moments" that other people looooove to judge (and they were, believe me) but also realize my son is in real danger. So what the hell, I gave them a whole show... not only is my 2 year old sitting on his bike in the middle of traffic (light is going to change any minute- what mom allows that to happen?) but yes, this 2 year old has the angry screaming mother who then proceeds to lift & carry him by one arm, the like-a-bike in the other hand and run to the other side of the street... continuing to yell even after the goal of safety had been met. Yep, pretty proud moment for me. 

Ahhhh, but there in lies the last bicycle safety tip... safety first kiddos- we moms will do anything to keep you safe. So please sweet children if you ever, ever decide to stop your bike in the middle of a busy street, know that your mother will show up as a total crazy person, yanking you to safety, screaming all the way. Do you really want that? 

Real tip: When crossing the street (after stopping, looking and listening) your goal is to get to the other side of the street as quickly as possible... no dilly dallying in the street... ever.

know more. worry less.

Wednesday's results...

Which two are true and which one is not? Guest blogger (and fantastic husband, super father, amazing doctor) Luke Hermann answers our allergy questions today...

1. Most allergic reactions are triggered by food, medications or insect stings.  TRUE

2. Symptoms of an allergic reaction can include a rash, difficulty breathing, dizziness and abdominal cramps/diarrhea.  TRUE

Allergic reactions can manifest with symptoms in almost any organ system including the skin, pulmonary, cardiovascular, nervous AND yes, the gastrointestinal system.

3. Severe (life threatening) allergic reactions only occur in people who have had a previous allergic reaction to the same substance.  FALSE

Although a true allergic reaction requires a previous exposure to an allergen, the first time a person develops symptoms (i.e. an allergic reaction), those symptoms can be very severe and life threatening. This is important because we tend to think of allergic reactions as getting more severe with each exposure and therefore may incorrectly assume that "serious" reactions will not happen without the warning of a "milder" early allergic reaction.

know more. worry less.

Tuesday's Two Truths and a Non Truth

Today's topic is... Allergic Reactions

1. Most allergic reactions are triggered by food, medications or insect stings.

2. Symptoms of an allergic reaction can include a rash, difficulty breathing, dizziness and abdominal cramps/diarrhea.

3. Severe (life threatening) allergic reactions only occur in people who have had a previous allergic reaction to the same substance.

Can you spot the non truth? Feel free to post your guess in the comment section. 

Tomorrow I'll post which 2 are true, which one is not and why!

Wednesday's results... on Thursday.

Which two are true and which one is not?

1. ABC stands for check "Airway, Breathing and Circulation". This mnemonic serves as a reminder of what to do when helping someone during a medical emergency.   TRUE

A is for airway. 

The airway is the passage that connects the mouth to the lungs. For air to enter the lungs, the airway must remain clear. If is becomes blocked, airflow into the lungs will stop. 

B is for breathing. 

The lungs perform the job of breathing. With each breath air travels through the airway into the lungs. This air contains oxygen which is transferred to blood cells in the lungs, and then carried to the rest of the body. If airflow into the lungs stops, no oxygen gets into the bloodstream.

C is for circulation. 

Circulation refers to the blood that is pumped by the heart first to the lungs and then to the rest of the body. Blood carries oxygen and nutrients the body needs. If the heart stops pumping, blood flow to the lungs and body stops and the body can not survive.

2. The A (in ABC's) also serves as a reminder to ALWAYS call 911 FIRST in every emergency.   FALSE

The A in ABC's simply stand for airway.. that's it.  

So why is "always call 911 first in every emergency" a false statement?

If you see an adult collapse to the ground and require CPR you can bet most times it's cardiac related (Arrhythmias) . Your response per the American Heart Association is to CALL FIRST. Call 911 to activate help- you should then begin giving CPR and not stop until medical help arrives, attaches the defibrillator  & continues giving care.  Of course if someone is with you, send them to call while you begin CPR. 

In children however, a child who collapses to the ground and requires CPR does so most likely not from an arrhythmia but from respiratory arrest.  Brain damage from lack of oxygen occurs in less than 4 minutes and death shortly thereafter, therefore the American Heart Association's recommendation for children in need of CPR is to CALL FAST. Give 2 minutes of CPR before calling 911. Of course if someone is with you, send them to call while you give CPR. 

The truth is a lot of people believe that if they call 911 that's enough... job over, no worries, the end. While it's part of your response to a medical emergency, that can't be the sum total of what you do. 

3. When assisting someone during a medical emergency, you should follow the order- first A, then B and finally C.   TRUE

Absolutely follow the order, if you stop and think about it, it doesn't make any sense not to. Check the airway, then breathing, then circulation. If the airway is blocked, you won't have breathing or circulation. If the airway is open but your baby isn't breathing it won't be long before his/her heart stops beating and sure enough, no circulation. So fix first things first... open airway, make sure he or she is breathing then worry about circulation. 

know more. worry less.

Tuesday's Two Truths and a Non Truth

Today's Topic- the ABC's of emergency response

1. ABC stands for check "Airway, Breathing and Circulation". This mnemonic serves as a reminder of what to do when helping someone during a medical emergency.

2. The A (in ABC's) also serves as a reminder to ALWAYS call 911 FIRST in every emergency.

3. When assisting someone during a medical emergency, you should follow the order- first A, then B and finally C.

Can you spot the non truth? Feel free to post your guess in the comment section. Tomorrow I'll post which 2 are true, which one is not and why!

May is Bike month in NYC... a safe Sunday afternoon ride to kick things off!

Even at 2 years old, on a bike with no pedals (it's a Like-a-bike...  it should be called love-a-bike because we all really really LOVE THIS BIKE!- if you don't have one and you have a child under 5 years old, you should definitely get one), Oliver is learning that basic bike safety is a must. He knows to wear his helmet, stop at corners, watch for other bikers and people on the sidewalks but bike month in NYC has gotten me thinking about what else I should be teaching my kids about bike safety. 

I was actually surprised to learn that over 300,000 kids go to the emergency department every year for bike related injuries. Wow. So what should we be teaching them to hopefully lower that number this year? Here's a little checklist to go over with your child.

1. ALWAYS wear a helmet. Make sure the straps are fastened and that the helmet fits well, not too big, not too small. You can have a bike shop or your pediatrician check this if you have a question re: fit.

2. Wear bright clothing or place reflectors on your bicycle.

3. Wear shoes (no bare feet, no flip flops).

4. Choose paths without traffic if possible.

5. Keep you hands on the handle bars (except for when performing traffic signs for turns, etc)

6. Stop, look and listen at intersections.

7. Ride with the flow of traffic, not against.

8. Be aware if riding close to parked cars that doors may open (When we lived in Chicago, I actually saw a man get thrown from his bike from this exact thing happening... not pretty).

9. Ride with a friend or family member and help each other pay attention to your surroundings.

10. Pass other bikers and pedestrians on the left side, calling "on your left" as you go by. (Personal note: try to say "on your left" in a loud but nice voice- not like some bikers in Central Park and on the West Side Highway path... they're loud and not nice! The truth is other people are having a moment in their day just like you are. It's your responsibility to let them know you're there and you can do this in a respectful, kind way. That last part is where my 10 year old roles his eyes... feel free to do the same, I know- can't help it).

I leave you with a link to "How not to get hit by cars"

A great article outlining the most common bicycle/car accidents- top 10 

Be safe, have fun!

know more. worry less.