Reasonable Rascal
06-15-09, 09:45
Author's Note: Since completing this review I have been advised that changes are being made to the product. These will be reviewed and added as an update at a later time.
Act+Fast Anti-Choking Trainer
Product Review
I had the fortune to be able to attend EMS Expo in Las Vegas in October, 2008. As with other EMS conferences the exhibit hall is a favorite draw for my attention and this event proved no different. There were a number of new, innovative products that greeted me there, chief amongst them the Act+Fast Anti-Choking Trainer.
Dr. Timothy Adams, M.D. is the inventive genius behind this product, inspired by the call to train Boy Scouts in the anti-choking (sometimes referred to as the Heimlich) maneuver. Basic first aid skills training is a hallmark of Scouting, and instruction in the anti-choking maneuver is part and parcel of this, a requirement in fact for a Scout’s first rank, that of Tenderfoot.
My first introduction to the Act+Fast was the shouts of glee that accompanied the arcing flight of a small object through the air and across the exhibit hall aisle. Upon scanning the area I saw the booth that seemed to be the source of projectile, and there found the good people promoting the Act-Fast Trainer.
Before I left the booth to continue my tour of the exhibit hall I was hooked. Nay, wowed might be more accurate. Mind you I did not go to the Expo to spend money, but sometimes you find something that you simply cannot say no to. Before I left the show the Act+Fast people had my order in hand.
Now that I have had the chance to play with both pre-production demo models and the final market-ready version I am able to offer a thorough evaluation of the merits of this very clever training aid.
The anti-choking maneuver is simple to perform, has the ability to save a life that might otherwise be lost, and requires no special skill save that it be performed correctly. It is in the proper teaching of this skill that previous methods have been found to be lacking. Ideally the test “victim” is a live person upon whom the proper hand placement and thrust is performed. The problem with this is that in doing so the “victim” stands a fair chance of being injured, as the force required to expel an entrapped object from the airway is not inconsequential. Not that we are talking any likelihood of substantial injury, but induced vomiting (one common hazard) isn’t exactly something that one would willingly undergo simply so a friend can learn the proper way of performing the anti-choking maneuver.
What Dr. Adams has developed in a device that the “victim” wears so as to allow proper application of the anti-choking maneuver in such as away as to reward proper technique by expelling a soft dart or other suitable object from the “airway.” Not only does it allow practicing the roles of victim and rescuer but it also allows a student to practice self-rescue without risk of self-injury.
The concept is amazingly simple, making one ask “Why didn’t somebody think of this before?” Why not indeed, considering that the anti-choking, or ‘Heimlich’ maneuver has been taught for decades.
Basically the device consists of a vest containing a bladder equipped with a simulated airway. A ‘victim’ dons the vest by placing it over their head and fastening the buckles located on either side. There is no way to mis-wear the device unless you wear it backwards (immediately obvious).
To the bladder is attached an ‘airway’ which curves outward away from the victim in swan-like fashion. This effectively simulates the human throat that has presumably been blocked by a foreign object. The trainer uses Nerf ® darts, but you may effectively substitute items such as grapes, etc for added fun and realism.
To aid in proper hand placement there is a simulated navel molded in the belly of the device. Merely place your hands above the navel as you would on a real victim and apply a moderately forceful inward and upward thrust. When properly performed you should be rewarded by seeing the obstructing object fly outward from the ‘throat’ to land several feet – or yards - away.
I had the opportunity to try a pre-production model with my Scout Troop, using it for what it was originally designed to do, allow the safe teaching of the anti-choking maneuver to Boy Scouts. I confess it did have an unexpectedly disruptive effect; the boys enjoyed it so much they forgot that the objective was to learn a new skill as they commenced to treat the vest as the latest and greatest plaything. To say they had a good time shooting various objects from the device’s “throat” would be putting it mildly. They didn’t even mind missing their usual game period outside, so much fun they were having.
Since my introduction to this unique device I have acquired 3 production models. They come packaged with a clever drawstring closure nylon carry bag that may be slung backpack style, a color laminated instruction card that demonstrates use of the trainer on a live model on one side, and how to perform the anti-choking maneuver on an actual victim on the obverse, a package of several Nerf, ® darts to use as training projectiles, and of course the trainer itself. Custom screenprinting on the vest is possible.
What kid, or adult for that matter, doesn’t enjoy a game of seeing whom can make their dart/grape/marble/object of your choice fly the farthest? No one I am aware of. The really outstanding feature of this trainer is the utilitarian value: it can be used to train anyone from a 5 year-old to an adult of any age. The target audience of students could be a kindergarten class, nurses or Paramedics, or even a Boy Scout troop seeking an effective manner in which to make training and advancement fun.
The Act+Fast Anti Choking Trainer retails for $129 each, or in an instructor pack of 5 units for $516. That’s right, buy 4 and get the 5th one free. When was the last time anyone offered you a deal like that on a CPR mannequin?
Act+Fast has a well designed website that includes a demonstration video. Check it out at http://actfastmed.com/ and be sure to tell them that Reasonable Rascal sent you.
Disclaimer: I do not have any financial interest in this company or any of its subsidiaries. I am not invested in the company in any form and do not offer their products for sale. My product reviews are based upon my experiences and are solely representative of my opinion and evaluation of the product
Act+Fast Anti-Choking Trainer
Product Review
I had the fortune to be able to attend EMS Expo in Las Vegas in October, 2008. As with other EMS conferences the exhibit hall is a favorite draw for my attention and this event proved no different. There were a number of new, innovative products that greeted me there, chief amongst them the Act+Fast Anti-Choking Trainer.
Dr. Timothy Adams, M.D. is the inventive genius behind this product, inspired by the call to train Boy Scouts in the anti-choking (sometimes referred to as the Heimlich) maneuver. Basic first aid skills training is a hallmark of Scouting, and instruction in the anti-choking maneuver is part and parcel of this, a requirement in fact for a Scout’s first rank, that of Tenderfoot.
My first introduction to the Act+Fast was the shouts of glee that accompanied the arcing flight of a small object through the air and across the exhibit hall aisle. Upon scanning the area I saw the booth that seemed to be the source of projectile, and there found the good people promoting the Act-Fast Trainer.
Before I left the booth to continue my tour of the exhibit hall I was hooked. Nay, wowed might be more accurate. Mind you I did not go to the Expo to spend money, but sometimes you find something that you simply cannot say no to. Before I left the show the Act+Fast people had my order in hand.
Now that I have had the chance to play with both pre-production demo models and the final market-ready version I am able to offer a thorough evaluation of the merits of this very clever training aid.
The anti-choking maneuver is simple to perform, has the ability to save a life that might otherwise be lost, and requires no special skill save that it be performed correctly. It is in the proper teaching of this skill that previous methods have been found to be lacking. Ideally the test “victim” is a live person upon whom the proper hand placement and thrust is performed. The problem with this is that in doing so the “victim” stands a fair chance of being injured, as the force required to expel an entrapped object from the airway is not inconsequential. Not that we are talking any likelihood of substantial injury, but induced vomiting (one common hazard) isn’t exactly something that one would willingly undergo simply so a friend can learn the proper way of performing the anti-choking maneuver.
What Dr. Adams has developed in a device that the “victim” wears so as to allow proper application of the anti-choking maneuver in such as away as to reward proper technique by expelling a soft dart or other suitable object from the “airway.” Not only does it allow practicing the roles of victim and rescuer but it also allows a student to practice self-rescue without risk of self-injury.
The concept is amazingly simple, making one ask “Why didn’t somebody think of this before?” Why not indeed, considering that the anti-choking, or ‘Heimlich’ maneuver has been taught for decades.
Basically the device consists of a vest containing a bladder equipped with a simulated airway. A ‘victim’ dons the vest by placing it over their head and fastening the buckles located on either side. There is no way to mis-wear the device unless you wear it backwards (immediately obvious).
To the bladder is attached an ‘airway’ which curves outward away from the victim in swan-like fashion. This effectively simulates the human throat that has presumably been blocked by a foreign object. The trainer uses Nerf ® darts, but you may effectively substitute items such as grapes, etc for added fun and realism.
To aid in proper hand placement there is a simulated navel molded in the belly of the device. Merely place your hands above the navel as you would on a real victim and apply a moderately forceful inward and upward thrust. When properly performed you should be rewarded by seeing the obstructing object fly outward from the ‘throat’ to land several feet – or yards - away.
I had the opportunity to try a pre-production model with my Scout Troop, using it for what it was originally designed to do, allow the safe teaching of the anti-choking maneuver to Boy Scouts. I confess it did have an unexpectedly disruptive effect; the boys enjoyed it so much they forgot that the objective was to learn a new skill as they commenced to treat the vest as the latest and greatest plaything. To say they had a good time shooting various objects from the device’s “throat” would be putting it mildly. They didn’t even mind missing their usual game period outside, so much fun they were having.
Since my introduction to this unique device I have acquired 3 production models. They come packaged with a clever drawstring closure nylon carry bag that may be slung backpack style, a color laminated instruction card that demonstrates use of the trainer on a live model on one side, and how to perform the anti-choking maneuver on an actual victim on the obverse, a package of several Nerf, ® darts to use as training projectiles, and of course the trainer itself. Custom screenprinting on the vest is possible.
What kid, or adult for that matter, doesn’t enjoy a game of seeing whom can make their dart/grape/marble/object of your choice fly the farthest? No one I am aware of. The really outstanding feature of this trainer is the utilitarian value: it can be used to train anyone from a 5 year-old to an adult of any age. The target audience of students could be a kindergarten class, nurses or Paramedics, or even a Boy Scout troop seeking an effective manner in which to make training and advancement fun.
The Act+Fast Anti Choking Trainer retails for $129 each, or in an instructor pack of 5 units for $516. That’s right, buy 4 and get the 5th one free. When was the last time anyone offered you a deal like that on a CPR mannequin?
Act+Fast has a well designed website that includes a demonstration video. Check it out at http://actfastmed.com/ and be sure to tell them that Reasonable Rascal sent you.
Disclaimer: I do not have any financial interest in this company or any of its subsidiaries. I am not invested in the company in any form and do not offer their products for sale. My product reviews are based upon my experiences and are solely representative of my opinion and evaluation of the product