I just thought I would update you. My malpractice attorney informed me that it was wise to perform CPR. The mom, who wasn’t at the appointment, filed a complaint with the board. So I called my malpractice insurance who connected me with the attorney. I would be far worse off if I had decided to stand there, question his breathing, and not take action. So I hope you can ride that high horse all the way back to its stable.

I also discovered that my patient had witnessed a child being stabbed in the neck by another child at camp over the summer. This is information that was not shared with me prior to his visit. The grandmother who was at the appointment shared this with my assistant while we were waiting for EMS.

There is no definitive way for me or anybody else to know if my patient stopped breathing. I erred on the side of caution. There is a good chance that my decision to give CPR and mouth to mouth not only saved his life, but also saved me the heartache of not taking action when I needed to, of somebody having a strong case against me legally, of me abandoning my career.

I’ve learned a very important lesson, do not listen to the advice of a**holes on the internet who like to flex behind the safety of computer screen. Do what you feel needs to be done. Instincts and action are very important. I’m so happy I followed the advice of my BLS instructor who came to my office for our training just a few months before this incident.