Around here, we think the answer to that one is easy--EVERYONE should be trained in CPR and automated external defibrillator (AEDs). There are some folks, though, who immediately jump to the top of the list, simply because of what they do: Healthcare workers—If you have patient contact and work in contexts where CPR and first aid knowledge could be critical, up-to-date training may be required for you, and may include advanced training such as ACLS or PALS. Lifeguards—You may be required to add oxygen administration to your emergency care “toolkit” along with CPR and AED. Personal Trainers—Many fitness centers and gyms require an AED onsite and staff trained in its use.Employers with OSHA and other safety requirements--Some or all of your employees may be required to have training beyond CPR and AED, such as bloodborne pathogens and personal protective equipment training. SeeOSHA's Best Pracitces Guide: Fundamentals of a Workplace First Aid Program for more information. Childcare Providers--There is not a single state that does not require childcare providers to be CPR certified. School Personnel (including teachers, PE teachers, coaches, volunteer coaches, and bus drivers)--More and more states are requiring at least one onsite AED for each school in a district, with a requirement for CPR and AED training for all school personnel as well. It used to be the case that one person trained in CPR would be onsite during the school day, but our regulatory department is seeing a trend towards schools requiring training for all personnel onsite all day and those onsite for all afterschool activities (sports or non-sports related). If someone has a cardiac arrest or heart attack, there are only a few minutes to act before it's too late. It's vital to know what to do beforehand. This is a brief guide to the help that can be given. Read more: http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/accidents_firstaid/index.shtml#ixzz2Rmd5pPps Follow us: @NetDoctor on Twitter | NetDoctorUK on Facebook Washing your hands well is one of the most important protections you have. Always use soap and water if your hands are visibly dirty and after taking off glove after providing First Aid. Access the scene to make sure it safe for you to proceed. You can't help if you get hurt. Only move the ill or injured person if they are in danger. Yell for help. Look for people who can help you. Look to see who is injured and how many people are hurt. Where are you? Be specific. The emergency Some people may be required to perform first aid while working like police officers, park rangers firefighters, flight attendants, life-guards, and park rangers may have a duty to give first aid when they are working. Providing first aid may be a part of your job description. If so, you must help while you are working. However, when off-duty, you can choose whether or not to provide first aid. First Aid is the immediate care that you give someone with an illness or injury before trained help arrives and takes over. Trained help could be an EMS responder, nurse or doctor. On April 2nd, 2011 the American Heart Association (AHA) gave a “Call to Action” for bystander witnessed out-of-hospital cardiac arrest of probable cardiac origin. The news media picked this up and announced to the public that the new AHA recommendation is to do compression only CPR. From the number of calls we received there seems to be a lot of confusion. This call to action for bystander does NOT apply to unwitnessed cardiac arrest, cardiac arrest in infants, children, or cardiac arrest presumed to be of non-cardiac origin, such as drowning, trauma, airway obstruction, acute respiratory disease and apnea (such as associated with drug overdose). Now my clarification begins to sound confusing. Let me try to simplify. The new recommendation seems to be directed to the non-trained rescuer. The idea of having more people getting involved, in providing care, would lead to more successful resuscitation. Many people may be reluctant to get involved due to fear of contracting a disease (through mouth to mouth breaths) or being unable to provide proper CPR skills. The new guidelines are as follows: If a bystander is not trained in CPR, then the bystander should provide hands-only (compression) CPR, pushing in the middle of the chest hard and fast until an AED arrives or emergency personnel take over the care of the victim. If a bystander was previously trained in CPR skills and is confident in his/hers ability to provide rescue breaths with minimal interruptions in chest compressions, then the bystander should provide conventional CPR using the 30:2 compression to ventilation ratio. If a bystander was previously trained in CPR skills and is NOT confident in his/hers ability to provide conventional CPR, then the bystander should provide hands-only (compression) CPR, pushing in the middle of the chest hard and fast until an AED arrives or emergency personnel take over the care of the victim. If you know your skills and are confident in performing them, the best care for the victim is still CPR with compressions and rescue ventilations. On the other hand if you are reluctant or have not had proper CPR training, then beginning chest compressions alone without rescue ventilations is beneficial to the victim and should be start immediately. For further information go to the following link: http://circ.ahajournals.org/cgi/reprint/CIRCULATIONAHA.107.189380 You may have received an email that describes how coughing can fend off or prevent a heart attack. The message usually starts with a story about how you’re driving home after a bad day of work and all the sudden you start to experience severe pain or pressure in your chest. When the pain begins radiating into your arm and up into your jaw, you panic, realizing you’re five miles from the nearest hospital. What to do? This popular, but potentially hazardous, email suggests that you force yourself to produce a series of vigorous, deep and repeated coughs which will squeeze your heart and keep blood moving. The Cough CPR advice is attributed to a study conducted by the Rochester General Hospital. Unfortunately, this information is not true and may prevent some people from taking the correct actions. Hospital administrators disavow this information by stating, “We can find no record that an article even resembling this was produced by Rochester General Hospital within the last 20 years.” The erroneous email first surfaced in 1999 and came back to life (no pun intended) in the spring of 2004. In early 2010 this potentially dangerous post began making the rounds all over again. If you happen to receive this email, please assist in putting it to rest once and for all. Delete, disregard, and decline to forward – to friends and enemies alike – is the appropriate response when receiving unsolicited health advice via email. Incorrect advice of this type may be downright dangerous and could prove harmful, or even deadly, when followed by unsuspecting readers. What Should You Do? Know the warning signs and be able to recognize them in yourself and others. Take immediate action by calling 9-1-1. If driving, pull off the road and use your cell phone to call 9-1-1. Continuing to drive while experiencing cardiac arrest puts you and others at additional risk of injury if you lose consciousness. If you are helping someone else and the victim becomes unconscious and stops breathing, begin CPR. If you have access to an AED (Automated External Defibrillator), administer as early as possible. Heart Attack Warning Signs in Men:
If you begin to choke and there is nobody around to offer assistance, you can perform abdominal thrust upon yourself. You can do this by either by using your own fist to apply pressure in the same manner as the Heimlich maneuver or you can use an immobile object such as the back of a chair, side of a table or kitchen counter. If you use an immobile object, position yourself in back of the chair or table, lean forward to create a 45 degree angle. Now drop yourself straight down forcefully, just above the bellybutton, to create pressure on the diaphragm. Continue thrusting until the object is relieved. Though it is not common, internal injures have occurred. If you have to perform these maneuvers on yourself you should seek medical attention afterwards. | Archives |
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