Understanding steps and importance of AHA Hands-Only CPR – Video

BLS Training, CPR Certification

Most people, who experience sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) at home, work or in a public location, die because they don’t receive immediate CPR from bystanders at the site. As a first responder, now you can help a person in a SCA emergency with the help of this video. The video explains the two steps of hands-only CPR that can help rescuers save lives during SCA emergencies.

Hands-Only CPR is CPR without mouth-to-mouth breaths. The American Heart Association has recommended this CPR procedure for use in people who collapse suddenly in an ‘out-of-hospital’ setting. The two steps of Hands-Only CPR can increase the patient’s chance of survival. The two simple steps are: First – Call 9-1-1 and provide accurate information to the 911 dispatcher. Second – Provide chest compressions to the patient at a rapid rate of 100 compressions per minute. If the hands-only CPR technique is still not clear to you, check out this video to understand how to do this type of resuscitation.

Be Emergency Ready for First-Aid – Infographic

First Aid Training

Did you know around 4,500 fire and burn deaths are recorded every year in the US? Lack of immediate medical help is one of the main factors responsible for these deaths. Many people find themselves ill-equipped to handle medical emergencies.

Knowledge and understanding of first-aid can go a long way when it comes to helping a person who’s suffered a burn injury, heat stroke or any other type of injury. For businesses as well as homeowners, it is important to keep the first-aid kit handy. However, many people have little knowledge of the things that should be kept in the first-aid box. Apart from adhesive bandages and antibiotic ointment packets, it is important to keep many other things in the first-aid kit. These include sterile gauze pads, tweezers, oral thermometer, bandages etc.

Most importantly, it is essential to be well-aware of the first-aid emergency treatments. Awareness about how to treat common medical conditions can go a long way when it comes to saving the life of an individual and helping him recover quickly.

Be Emergency Ready for First-Aid

Understanding the Four B’s concept of First Aid

First Aid Training

The core principle of first aid is to save a human life by preventing further injury and promoting fast recovery. In case of an accident, first responders give pre-medical care (first aid) to the people, who are ill or seriously (or minor) injured. If they will understand the four B’s concept of first aid, then they can easily prioritize care when there are several injured people:

•    Breathing: Check for casualties who are not able to breathe properly. If such victims are not provided first aid within minutes, their brain cells will die as they are not breathing. Immediately check for any airway blockage, breathing, and circulation (A-B-C) and perform CPR.

•    Bleeding: If a victim is bleeding heavily, provide first aid care to him/her before emergency help arrives. This may require you to use bandages or other medicines you happen to find at the accident site.

Understanding the Four B’s concept of First Aid

•    Broken bones & fractures: A fracture is a broken bone. Fracture can be closed or open and it requires medical attention. If fracture is the result of major injury, call local emergency number first, and take necessary steps to avoid further injury such as stop bleeding, apply ice packs and perform CPR if the victim is not breathing.

•    Burns: After covering casualties with above injuries, treat victims with burns. Depending on the level and type of burn injury, treat the patient to cool the affected area.

Attend first aid training classes to learn about first aid for fractures, burns, and CPR.

Most common causes of serious injury in children

Pediatric CPR,

Young children are at greater risk for many serious injuries than adults. Children have immature physical coordination and cognitive abilities, and are at greater risk of falls, extremity fractures, head injury, minor trauma, etc. However, parents and people taking care of children can take steps to make sure their child is safe and, they must know what to do in the event of an accident.

The most common causes of childhood injuries are:

Most common causes of serious injury in children

•    Choking, strangulation, and suffocation: Choking, suffocation, and strangulation cause serious unintentional injuries, but they are preventable. Give back blows or do abdominal thrusts when the child is choking or suffocating. Parents and other caregivers should learn pediatric CPR and choking first aid to prevent these injuries.

•    Burn injuries: A child’s sensitive skin burns more easily than adults. Burns can be caused by steam or vapour, hot water or any other heat or electrical sources. To reduce the severity of burn injuries, apply cool running water, use a clean dressing, and call doctor.

•    Drowning: Drowning is the most common cause of accidental deaths among infants and children aged 1 to 4. Always supervise your child while swimming and never leave any item, such as bucket filled with water, which could become the cause of drowning.

•    Falls & Poisoning: For limiting fall-related injuries, always supervise your child while playing or doing outdoor activities. If your child does have a heavy fall, immediately contact doctor. Poisoning is a common occurrence among children. Prevention is important, particularly with medicines or anything that could harm your child, to limit poisoning cases.

Understanding AHA Hands-Only CPR (Infographic)

BLS Training, CPR Certification

Did you know around 90% of ‘out-of-hospital’ Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) incidents are fatal? The absence of immediate first-aid is one of the major reasons that cause the death of SCA victims. Due to lack of CPR knowledge, many people fail to provide immediate medical help to the patient.

Approved from American Heart Association providing hands-only CPR is an effective way to save the life of a person who has suffered a sudden cardiac arrest. In hands-only CPR, chest compressions are performed on the patient without mouth-to-mouth breathing. Studies have shown that hand-only CPR can be as effective as conventional CPR. Providing hands-only CPR immediately to the patient can save his life. Apart from giving chest compressions, it is important to call emergency medical care so the medical help arrives on time. Take a look at the below infographic for more information on AHA hands-free CPR and how it can save the life of a patient.

 

Understanding AHA Hands-Only CPR

The F.A.S.T Test and Stroke Emergency

First Aid Training

Nearly 800,000 people in the U.S. experience stroke every year, which means one stroke occurs every 40 seconds. A stroke is an acute neurological injury that occurs when the blood supply to the brain is interrupted, due to blood clot (ischemic) or there is bleeding in the brain (hemorrhagic). Stroke is also called ‘Cerebrovascular Accident.’  Due to interruption in blood supply, brain cells begin to die within minutes. So the victim requires emergency care at the first sign of a stroke. First responders need to act ‘FAST’ in case of stroke emergency.

Understanding the F.A.S.T Test
•    F stands for Face: As a first responder, you need to check the face of the stroke patient. Do you notice any sign of facial weakness? Has their mouth fallen on one side?
•    A stands for Arms: Check whether the victim can lift his or her both arms? A stroke patient cannot raise his/her arm fully.
•    S stands for Speech: A stroke victim faces difficulty in understanding and producing speech. If you notice the victim’s speech is slurred and he/she is not able to understand your voice, then it can be a stroke emergency.
•    T stands for Time: If you see any of these signs immediately call emergency services or take the patient to the hospital.

The F.A.S.T Test and Stroke Emergency
The F.A.S.T Test and Stroke Emergency

Early treatment saves many lives and reduces the effects of stroke. By learning the FAST test during CPR training, you could recognize the symptoms of stroke and save someone’s life!

Understanding AVPU Mnemonic for first responders

First Aid Training

The AVPU Mnemonic is an acronym for Alert, Voice, Pain, and Unresponsive. It is a system that can be used by first responders and emergency medical professionals to measure or record a victim’s responsiveness at the time of emergency situation. The four levels of AVPU scale include:

‘A’ stands for Alert: In this state, the patient is fully awake and alert. Though neurologically patient may not respond normally, but they can respond to your voices and follow commands given by first responders.

‘V’ stands for Voice: It may happen that the victim is not alert but you can get them to open their eyes. If the injured person obeys a command given by you or is able to speak to you, then you can say that they are responsive to voice.

‘P’ stands for Pain: In this state, the victim doesn’t talk or respond to your voice. They only respond to a pain stimulus when you try pinching him/her.

‘U’ stands for unresponsive: If the patient is not showing any voice or motor response to your voice or pain stimulus, then they are completely unconscious.

Understanding AVPU Mnemonic for first responders
Understanding AVPU Mnemonic for first responders

The 4-points of AVPU Mnemonic help in faster assessment of the injured person’s consciousness level by first responders, EMTs, doctors, and nurses. The AVPU scale is very helpful in determining the level of responsiveness of the victim in an emergency setting.

CPR Training Timeline – Infographic

CPR Certification

Sudden cardiac arrest causes about 325,000 deaths in the United States each year and at least one child dies from choking on food every five days in the country. The number of deaths due to cardiac arrest, choking, and drowning can be decreased with immediate CPR treatment. CPR is a lifesaver emergency treatment given to victims to restore the flow of oxygenated blood to the brain. However, CPR may seem to be a modern technique but its use can be traced back almost 275 years from now (2015). The infographic presents a timeline of the development of Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) and highlights the history of CPR.

The CPR originated in the year 1740 when the Paris Academy of Sciences officially recommended mouth-to-mouth resuscitation for drowning victims, but the first documented chest compression was performed by Dr. Friedrich Maass. When given properly and immediately to a victim, who has stopped breathing, CPR can save lives. If you don’t know how to perform CPR correctly, then join CPR training classes, and see the below infographic to learn more about CPR history.

CPR Training Timeline

Three P’s of First Aid

First Aid Training

The aim of First Aid is to provide immediate/initial care for an illness or injury. In an emergency situation, first aid treatment is given to a victim to prevent the condition from worsening and prevent further injury. The 3 P’s of First Aid will guide you to determine first aid treatments and the priorities. Here are the three P’s in order:

First ‘P’ – Preserve Life: The main responsibility of a bystander/first responder is to preserve life of the injured person by providing first aid treatments. After assessing the emergency scene for dangers, first responders should start the C-A-B procedure of first aid. Circulation – Assess the quality of their circulation , Airway – ensure that the victim has an airway, Breathing – ensure that the person is breathing. If required perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and rescue breathing until medical professionals arrive.

Second ‘P’ – Prevent Deterioration: The patient must be kept stable and his/her condition must not worsen before emergency medical technicians arrive. The main responsibilities of a first responder in this stage include placing casualty in a comfortable and safe position, providing comfort to casualty, preventing further injury, and applying first aid techniques.

Third ‘P’ – Promote Recovery: Following the first aid treatment, first responder should now encourage confidence in the patient, attempt to relieve pain, and take steps that may help in the recovery process.

Three P's of first aid
Three P’s of first aid

Though first responders have a number of responsibilities during emergencies, but remembering these three P’s of first aid will help them to prioritize things that are important for the victim.

Understanding Levels of Burn Injuries

First Aid Training

Burn injuries are one of the most common types of injuries suffered by people. Most burn injuries are minor ones. However, some burn injuries can cause significant damage and put the life of the person in danger. A burn injury can cause damage to your body’s tissues. The extent of the damage depends on the type of burn suffered by the person.

Broadly, burn injuries are classified into 3 categories. These include first degree burns, second degree burns and third degree burns. First degree burns are considered minor burns and they heal quickly. Second and third degree burns, on the other hand, can be dangerous. A third degree burn can be very dangerous as it can have many toxic effects on the body. Immediate medical care should be provided to save the life of the patient. In this video, you can learn more about the levels of burn injuries and the impact they can have on human body.