The CPR or Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation

There are various first aid procedures that are recommended to perform in cases of accidents. One of these procedures is the CPR or Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation. This emergency method is performing in reviving patients from any cardiac arrests.

CPR procedure has been proven effective by medical experts that are why it is considered as a very important first aid method to understand and study. It is known that administering this method can be very useful in saving someone's life. No wonder this has been included to some school curriculums and medical universities.

One should be able to obtain proper training and CPR certifications to properly carry out such procedure.

When you are in a difficult situation that will require administering emergency procedures, you will be helpless if you actually do not know what to do and how to help. A CPR training and certification would be the most important thing that you should have before performing CPR to an individual. It is recommended that you have a good education from a known training institution to make sure that you are capable enough to do such process.

You will likely have an advantage to land in a decent job if you also are certified in a CPR training not only to medical fields but also to companies that has a great risk of unwanted accidents. Someone who is not studying medical education can still acquire CPR training; it is regardless of your profession.

Companies usually have medical representatives that make sure everyone is of good health and is always ready for probable circumstances. But in their absence, there is a notable benefit in working with someone that has been trained to administer CPR procedures since this will make the work environment prepared for unanticipated occurrences.

This kind of capability will be useful not only for expected medical difficulties but also for anyone that badly needs your instantaneous life-saving CPR training.

CPR Training

CPR Training comes in handy in cardiac arrest situations and other medical emergencies such as assisting victims of choking, administration of Heimlich Manoeuvre, drowning, electrocution, drug overdose and suffocation. A CPR Training Program must be recognized by institutions such as the Red Cross and the American Heart Association.

Employees in medical offices, corporations and government agencies, babysitters and persons giving care to the elderly, are required to have this training. Concerns about the contraction of HIV/AIDS and hygiene matters revolving around practices such as mouth to mouth resuscitation, are settled by the use of sanitary barriers. Therefore, there is no reason to avoid this training, since it is safe.
Training can be acquired from local hospitals, chapters of the Red Cross, together with the internet, which is convenient for busy people and is a cheaper option owing to the lack of an instructor. Trainees are required to take the classes and afterward, a written examination.

The several types of CPR Training include: Adult CPR Training, Infant CPR Training, AED Training and First Aid Training.

The first step is to call 911 where the victim is non-responsive or breathing abnormally, then return to them to administer the CPR. If the victim is a child, it is advisable to administer CPR for 2 minutes, before making the call. The administrator is to begin chest compressions by pushing down, hard and fast at at least 100/minute, 2 inches to the center of the chest, and for 30 times. The heel of either or both hands can be used in the case of a child, and two or three fingers, in the case of an infant, whereby, the pressing should be done at about 1 and 1/2 inches unlike the case in children and adults. This should be followed by blowing into the mouth of the victim, for about 1 second, after titling his head backward, lifting his chin and pinching his nose. This is to be done until the chest rise. The titling of the head should not extend too far back when being performed on an infant. Thereafter, the administrator should proceed with the pumps and breathes until qualified assistance arrives.

CPR can moreover be performed on cats and dogs when unconscious, therefore eliminating the risk of biting. Any obstruction in the mouth of the animal should be removed. For a large animal, its jaws should be tightly shut and the administrator proceeds to breathe into its nose. For small animals, the administrator is to cover both the nose and mouth with his own mouth, as he breathes. In both cases, the breathes should be 2. The chest is then expected to rise. Thereafter, chest compressions should be performed. This can be carried out on large animals, by laying it on its back and performing the compressions as on humans. As for small animals, it may be laid on its side or back and one or both sides of the rib cage compressed. After this, breathes should be alternated with the compressions.

CPR Guidelines

The American Heart Association has released the 2010 CPR guidelines and they contain some major changes to the CPR steps. Even if you already hold your CPR certification you may want to consider recertification based on these changes. What is different now?

The first major change introduced affects the BLS (basic life support) sequence. If you are a trained rescuer i.e. you already hold a CPR certification you need to change from ABC to CAB when it comes to CPR steps. In your CPR class you will have been told that you always check airway and then deliver rescue breaths before starting chest compressions. These recommendations have changed.

Recent studies show that CPR had to be made easier so that more ordinary people would attend classes, obtain their certification and be ready and willing to perform CPR if required. Having listened to the general public and looked at medical evidence, the AHA has realized that making people perform mouth to mouth may be costing lives. People who have had a cardiac arrest usually die from oxygen starvation. If you start chest compressions you can get the heart beating and blood flowing around the system very quickly. If you use an AED your results i.e whether the casualty lives or dies should be even better.

The new guidelines suggest that if you are alone you should call 911 and then take out the AED, an electronic device that will help you to return the heart to its normal rhythm. If the AED isn't available start manual chest compressions. Anyone can push hard and fast on the center of the chest. Push down at least two inches and don't forget to allow a little bit of time for the chest to return to its original position. Keep chest compressions going until help or an AED arrives. The compression rate should be 100 per minute. If it helps, the song "staying alive" has the correct beat that you should follow when administering CPR. The victim has a higher chance of survival if you perform more compressions.

Some people are thinking that the new guidelines suggest that mouth to mouth is no longer required. This is not the case. What the AHA has said is that where someone is not trained in CPR then they should proceed with chest compression only CPR as this is better than nothing. It is much easier for the EMS dispatcher to talk someone into trying chest compressions than to try to teach someone how to do rescue breaths. If you are a trained rescuer the recommendations to perform rescue breaths still stands but you should start with chest compressions first.