AHA, or the American Heart Association, is the body responsible for issuing guidelines on how to provide basic and advanced life support. They are also the primary body responsible for ensuring that CPR is done properly. In support of this, the AHA has been issuing one of the most widely accepted CPR certification as well as first aid and basic life support certification.
Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation has come a long way when it comes to saving a person’s life. In the past, much emphasis has been given on ensuring that CPR is performed following a specific process – A-B-C. This means that the responder or first aider would have to check the airway first, administer artificial breathing, and then proceed to administering chest compression. Although this process has been credited with saving a number of lives, AHA, based on the results of researches done by other medical professionals, has promulgated a new way of dealing with victims of SCA, or Sudden Cardiac Arrest.
Recently, AHA has issued a different set of guidelines that is believed to increase the chances of a person surviving SCA. This method placed more emphasis on the administration of chest compression. This means that, what used to be an A-B-C model is now a C-A-B model.
Aside from this, AHA has also stated that those who do not have proper training in CPR can still help save lives by administering a hands-only, or compression-only, CPR. In this method, the responder only needs to make sure that he or she is able to administer uninterrupted chest compressions of about 100 compressions in a minute. Each of the compression should still be two inches deep. The responder may stop if the paramedics has arrived or if there is someone else in the crowd who can take his or her place in administering the CPR. In this method, there is no more need to administer rescue breathing. That being the case, everyone is now encouraged to jump in and start CPR should they see someone become unconscious and unresponsive. The same instruction can also be followed by those who have had a CPR training in the past but have grown rusty in the said life-saving skill. For those who have had rigorous training in CPR, AHA recommends performing 30 chest compressions before checking the airway and administering rescue breathings. Both the CAB CPR as well as the COCPR can be administered in adults and children. For infants especially newborns, however, a different set of techniques should be used by the first aider or responder.
Not many people may be aware of it but, by administering CPR, tissue necrosis is actually prevented. How so? By simulating blood circulation, the needed oxygen and nutrients in the blood are able to reach the intended major organs in the body.
Not many people may pay particular attention to it but knowing how to do CPR properly can oftentimes spell the difference between hero and zero. That being the case, it is only right that you undergo the correct CPR training and certification program. One dependable provider of such is Citywide CPR.
