Opinions Needed

[impulsereader.livejournal.com]

What is the general feeling about Sherlock knowing how to perform CPR / rescue breathing?[Poll #1836991]

Comments

[the-kinky-pet.livejournal.com]

I think that would depend on when you're thinking of. For example, if John just moved in and Sherlock has never had a partner, then I'm sure he deleted it since he couldn't perform it on himself. Or, if John still seems indestructible, he might not think ahead to imagine that he might need to know such a thing. But, on the other hand, if they had had a few close calls together, I could see him learning that stuff (without telling John, of course!) as a preemptive measure after having a bit of a scare.

(Hum. This would actually make kinda a good ficlet... Anyone game?)

[impulsereader.livejournal.com]

See, that's why I wanted other opinions. It feels like something Sherlock would know how to do, but I couldn't think of a reason that Sherlock might say to himself, 'that could come in useful, I should learn/not delete that.'

[scandalbaby.livejournal.com]

I honestly think he doesn't know it, but because he's studied how the human body works he can figure it out well enough. I think the first time he's forced to do it he doesn't do it perfectly or maybe even completely correctly, and then he learns it. It would especially be interesting if he learns it because of John's influence.

...God. Now I want to write fic where Sherlock has to do CPR, doesn't do it right, John steps in and Sherlock feels confused as to how he couldn't figure out how to do it properly himself. I DON'T NEED PLOT BUNNIES RIGHT NOW!

[impulsereader.livejournal.com]

Yes, I'm definitely tending toward thinking he could work it out to some degree. I don't think he'd accidentally kill anyone he's working on.

[wastingyourgum.livejournal.com]

Sherlock would be familiar with CPR so he could determine which bruises on a corpse may have been caused by it...

[killerweasel.livejournal.com]

lmao! That's what I was thinking too.

[impulsereader.livejournal.com]

That is such a good point and something I'd completely not thought about. Thanks so much for taking the time to share!

[killerweasel.livejournal.com]

I would say that he probably does know how to do it or even tried it out on a corpse or two just to see what the bruising/possible broken ribs would look like from someone doing such a thing on someone else. There could have been a case where someone was all 'oh, I tried to save __, I did CPR and it failed' and the bruising/busted ribs were caused by the killer stomping on the victim or something.

[impulsereader.livejournal.com]

Definitely true. Very good point/catch.

[mandatorily.livejournal.com]

I think he probably knows it, in theory, but maybe has never done it before and during the course of a crisis -- possibly with John's life in danger -- and the adrenaline running high, he realizes that theory isn't quite good enough when you're seriously scared out of your mind that the person under your hands is going to die.

But, yes, all of these seem like great ficlet ideas. Too bad I just don't have the bloody time right now! Ugh.

[impulsereader.livejournal.com]

Well, I'm happy to inspire even if there's a bit of a delay to execution...

[nrrrdy-grrrl.livejournal.com]

I'm betting he'd only know how to do it because it was previously relevant to a case, so maybe he's done it but only to prove something.

[impulsereader.livejournal.com]

I can get on board with that.

[nrrrdy-grrrl.livejournal.com]

It fits. He'd more likely learn how to do it for that reason- I can just imagine him trying to show that if Mr X had indeed found his wife Unis collapsed in the kitchen and tried to resuscitate her, there would have been pre and post mortum bruising from pumping on her heart. Somehow I'm sure poor Molly would be conscripted into the role of the prone Unis X.

[jak-frostty.livejournal.com]

Is there an 'Other' option? I figure he probably knows how and when to use CPR but that he's never actually practiced/taken a class for it. So, theory but not skill.

In an actual situation, I figure the life would be saved but maybe a bit more bruised than necessary? Maybe some fumbling and awkwardness?

[impulsereader.livejournal.com]

I'm tending to agree he'd be able to work it out in some capacity. Thanks for taking the time to comment.

[msmodeski.livejournal.com]

I must admit, this story has forever influenced my thoughts on the matter: "Not Dying Today." (http://morganstuart.livejournal.com/6228.html) It's the first thing I thought of when I saw this post! ;)

[impulsereader.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the rec. I've bookmarked to finish tomorrow at a more decent hour.

[f-m-r-l.livejournal.com]

(Heartbeat) Stayin' Alive

Sherlock skimmed instructions, tapped the 'start' button on the app, and leaned forward as the tinny sound of the Bee Gees filled the air.

It was easy to remember how hard to pound; he'd done enough autopsies on corpses with cracked ribs. One, two, three, four, and up to thirty (beep) before the press of lips against lips, then exhale (beep), and inhale, a second breath (beep), and back to compressions. The app beeped to cue the switches, leaving his mind to thoughtless panic.

It was only the second round of breaths—less than a minute—when a voice came over the phone's headset. "999, what is the nature of your emergency?" Sherlock knew the app had sent off GPS data while making the call, but went over everything, where they were, what had happened, the best way to get there. He was panting information over the sound of the operator's reassurances, over the sound of the song, trying to be heard over the sound of the fear in his head.

If they got through this, he would never listen to Stayin' Alive again.

If they got through this, the song would be engraved on his every heartbeat.

Please, God, let him live.

Sirens wailed in the distance as lips pressed lips, hoping for a breath.

---

I figure there's an app for that. Practical John may have installed it.

It doesn't hurt that Stayin' Alive is often used to train medical personnel on CPR compression speed.

Thanks to linguini17 for the lookover.

[evila-elf.livejournal.com]

+1 :D

[f-m-r-l.livejournal.com]

Thanks. :-)

[impulsereader.livejournal.com]

That's interesting, thanks very much. Unfortunately, in my particular case Sherlock and his phone have taken a dunking as well. We'll go with practical John having installed it, but he is foiled in my particular fic...

[f-m-r-l.livejournal.com]

http://www.phonearena.com/news/Liquipel-waterproof-phone-coating-tech-demo-video_id27882 (http://www.phonearena.com/news/Liquipel-waterproof-phone-coating-tech-demo-video_id27882)

I may occasionally be guilty of automatically going to technology first for a solution. I'm sure your solution will be much more interesting and workable! Santa Ana is a very long way to send one's phone, and Sherlock would, no doubt, suffer separation anxiety. On the other hand, the vacuum coating could just be parylene, and while that's expensive and tricky it's not hard to come by.

[impulsereader.livejournal.com]

Tech solutions are good! And perhaps after what I've put him through in my fic Sherlock will be willing to go this way with it. He had to rely on the kindness of strangers - or at least strangers in the right place at the right time being willing to carry out his peremptory demands...

[keerawa.livejournal.com]

IMHO, it's a simple procedure Sherlock learned under circumstances he's long since deleted. Because corpses are informative, but only live suspects can be interrogated.

I also agree that Sherlock would be very familiar with the physical signs of CPR administered expertly or by amateurs.

[impulsereader.livejournal.com]

I agree with all of this. Unfortunately, those two things sort of conflict for my purposes so I'm ending up ignoring the fact that I think he'd have deleted it, or at least have him combining the fact that he learned it at some point with his expertise in the field of knowing what doing it wrong consists of/looks like. And besides, I don't actually want him to end up hurting John...

Thanks so much for commenting, I was surprised by the amount of discussion I ended up generating and it's been a really fun day thinking about it.