For decades, countless people have already taken interest in CPR training yet very few people know how to actively apply their knowledge in saving lives in real life situations. Relatively few even attempt to do resuscitation before real help from paramedics arrive.

Why is it that even with the sheer number of people who have undergone CPR training only a few cases get the benefit of resuscitation attempts?

Panic

The primary reason why people don’t attempt resuscitation is not because they can’t but because their bodies are overpowered with anxiety and panic and so they forgot what they should do first when the situation calls for it. When the body is overpowered with fear and panic, the conscious mind could not catch up that it becomes next to impossible to do an accurate recall on the steps that are needed to be done.

Personal Space

There is also a factor where a person won’t do the mouth-to-mouth resuscitation especially when the person involved is a stranger. This is probably because of a “personal space” factor – whether it is the patient’s space or one’s own – that is up to the person who is going to do the CPR. Indeed, CPR is a classic invasion of personal space. However, there is no such thing as it is when it comes to saving lives. What an individual has to think about is how to save the man before him until the paramedics arrive.

Getting the Facts Straight

Mouth to mouth resuscitation is not compulsory anymore, according to a study that was published in a journal of medicine five years ago. This means to say that chest compressions on its own can already do wonders or perhaps even better than when it is combined with rescue breathing. In fact, chest compressions alone can already increase the chance of patient’s survival with discharge from hospital with satisfactory or good brain function.

As opposed to cases where CPR/chest compression has been done, there is increased risk for brain damage or impaired brain function in people who have not received chest compression before they are brought into the hospital.

When it comes to emergencies, even when you’re not a paramedic or a medical professional – if you’ve received CPR training then you should be able to save one life at a time when the situation calls for it. This is a skill that everyone must have or acquire nowadays because you can never tell whether someone would fall in front of you due to cardiac arrest and if you don’t know what to do – then you risk that person’s life when you could’ve saved him or her.

By receiving training, you are actually doing yourself a favor. Ask yourself what if your loved one needed a CPR and you don’t know what to do? Wouldn’t it be better if you know how to do it so that you can save your loved one and other people for that matter with the knowledge that you have been given and bestowed?

CPR, which stands for Cardiopulmonary resuscitation, is a process that uses chest compression and artificial ventilation – by means of mouth-to-mouth resuscitation in order to maintain vascular flow and oxygenation despite the presence of cardiac arrest. This process greatly enhances the neurologic outcome or good quality life prognosis of patients who just had cardiac arrest away from the vicinity of a hospital or within significant time-delay prior to the arrival of paramedics.

However, despite improving the chances of these patient’s survival, the fact that adequate medical attention needs to be given cannot be discounted. This is to ensure that the patient’s chances of getting discharged from the hospital without significant neurologic symptoms that may impair good quality life is heightened.

The Process of CPR

The process starts with chest compression delivery. If you have observed from pictures or even from medical TV shows, you will see that cardiopulmonary resuscitation will begin with overlapping hands on top of the patient’s chest over the sternum. It should be emphasized that the arms of the person doing the resuscitation must be extended to ensure that the force for chest compression is adequately delivered with the assistance of some of the rescuer’s weight.

It has been updated that cardiopulmonary resuscitation must be done on all patients whether children or adults and a guidelines or recommendations have been passed for references.

First, the rescuer must only withhold resuscitation if victims of penetrating or blunt trauma will obviously not benefit anything from it. This means that if the victim obviously not survive – given the factors such as the time delay before reaching a medical facility – the victim will not benefit anything from the cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

Second, recommended resuscitation should be done in patients who have suffered from cardiac arrest especially when they have not sustained any traumatic injury at the time of incident.

Third, if the victim is a child and has shown signs of life even before the administration of cardiopulmonary resuscitation must be taken immediately to the nearest emergency room. All procedures including the traumatic CPR must be done while on the way to the hospital. Any delay of bringing the child could result to the demise of the patient considering the window of survival without oxygen to the brain.

There are still other guidelines that must be followed when it comes to doing cardiopulmonary resuscitation. The ones mentioned above are just some of it, which you could give more thought and understanding.

What are the instances when cardiopulmonary resuscitation is contraindicated or prohibited?

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation is indicated or SOP (standard operating procedure) to all victims of cardiac arrest. The only time that it is contraindicated or absolutely prohibited is when there is a DNR (do-not-resuscitate) order from the attending physician by virtue of the immediate family’s decision. It is also not done any more if the patient has advanced directive of not being resuscitated upon the occurrence of cardiac arrest. Otherwise, cardiopulmonary resuscitation is absolutely done in order to increase the chances of having good quality life after the cardiac arrest.

Based on historical records, about 600,000 Americans die each year from acute myocardial infarction. While most people think that a heart disease, and the resulting heart attack, can happen over time, that is not the case. In truth, it could take someone 10 to 15 years for a heart attack to inevitably occur. Unfortunately, although there is quite enough time for people to realize that a heart attack could occur, very few know what signs to watch out for.

Risk Factors for Heart Attack

1. Age

Although heart attack can happen to anyone, one of the factors that could increase such likelihood would be be if you are 45 years and above in age. For women, the age of 55 years and older tend to pose a higher risk. Many medical professionals believe that, it is because, at this age, the body is unable to break down fats. This, in turn, would mean build up of fatty deposits along the walls of the blood vessels.

2. Smoking

Whether it’s tobacco that gives you the thrill or just the simple cigarette, smoking can increase your likelihood of suffering from a heart attack. You have to keep in mind that, when you smoke, the amount of oxygen that reaches your brain as well as the other major organs that you have is greatly reduced. Without the right amount of oxygen, the tissues could die which could lead to organ failure.

3. Diabetes

People with diabetes have a higher chance of suffering from a heart attack compared to those who don’t. Excess sugar in the blood can damage the arteries which could lead to the latter being stiff and prone to more damage should fatty deposits start to build up.

4. Family History of Heart Disease

While heart attack is not something that you inherit from your parents, the risk and predisposition to it is actually something that gets passed down. Aside from this, it can be quite normal for parents to pass down their eating and lifestyle habits to their children. A previous heart attack could also mean that your chances of getting another heart attack is higher especially  if you do not make some needed changes.

Now, knowing the risk factors for a heart attack can help you ensure that you keep your risk level to a minimum. In the event that you do experience a heart attack, you have to keep in mind that all is not lost. There are, however, certain changes that you should consider:

1. Lifestyle change

If you are leading a sedentary life, you might to be more active. This does not have to be much. A brisk walk for 30 minutes each day can already help you lower your risk for another heart attack. It could also strengthen your body.

2. Watching what you eat.

Eating right does not mean that you have to punish yourself with bland, tasteless food. It only means that you have to make sure that you take everything into moderation. Ensure also that you do not consume food with high levels of LDL. You should also keep an eye out for the kind of drinks that you have each day.

Living a life after a heart attack would also mean making sure that you have an AED unit on hand. This can prove to be quite handy should you suffer from another heart attack.

Heart attack is no longer common for old people alone. There are more and more cases of people in their late twenties or even early twenties having heart attack due to myriad of reasons such as stress, obesity and other complications. Knowing the signs of heart attack is important not only for you but also for the ones you love. Heart attack can happen any time and in an instant so you better be aware on how to know that it is already happening, because sometimes, you might think it is just some ordinary pain or discomfort of the body.

One of the most typical warning signs of heart attack is pain. The pain can be felt either on the chest, on upper body or in your stomach. You might even feel pain on all those body parts all at the same time. Chest discomfort or chest pain will feel like a tight pressure or ache. The squeezing or fullness of the chest may last for a few minutes. In some cases, the discomfort will come back a few times during the day. Upper body pain means the discomfort will spread not only to your chest but also to your shoulders, neck, arms, back teeth and jaw. Note that you can have upper body pain without feeling ache on your chest. The stomach pain will more likely feel like heartburn.

Shortness of breath is normal if you undergo heavy physical activity. However, if you suddenly feel shortness of breath without doing something that ordinarily causes it, then you might be experiencing hear attack. Shortness of breath is typically experienced before chest pain but it can also be experienced by itself. Another warning sign of heart attack is anxiety. Again, the feeling of panic attack is normal if you thought of something stressful or if you are in danger. However, if for no apparent reason you suddenly feel anxious, like you are having cold sweats, then heart attack is more or less on its way. Speaking of cold sweats, having cold sweats alone is already a tell tale sign that you are having a heart attack. Lightheadedness, nausea and vomiting are some more warning signs of the deadly heart attack. Lightheadedness means you feel like passing out and nausea is something you experience that makes you sick to your stomach to the point of vomiting.

The symptoms stated here may vary in level of discomfort or pain. Just a word of advice, even if you feel only a little discomfort such as those stated here but with no real reason at all, take it as a warning and call your doctor as soon as possible. Do not wait until the pain escalates. It is also advisable to make sure that you have an AED unit on hand. That way, no matter what happens, the people around you would be able to provide assistance should you suffer from a heart attack. It is also a good idea to undergo a CPR training in any institution in your area.

You are having a wonderful dinner date with your husband. The waiter arrives with the vintage wine and pours it in your glass. Just as you are about to make a toast, your partner suddenly feels severe chest pain signaling the start of a heart attack. What do you do?

Another scenario, you are home alone with  your mom. The two of you are watching TV, laughing at the joke of the actors in your favorite sitcom. You mom is about to stand to get more chips but she stopped on her tracks and complained of shortness of breath and nausea. You think it is heart attack so you let her sit down again. What do you do next?

Knowing what to do during a heart attack is important to save lives, especially those close to you. The very first thing to do is to call 911, your doctor or the police to get some help. Even if the person having a heart attack decides to tough it out, it is your responsibility to inform the authorities. Something bad might happen even if the pain or discomfort being felt is only a mild one. If you do not know what number to call, contact a friend or the neighbor immediately. If you are the one having a heart attack and you decide to rush to the hospital then have someone else drive the car. Do not attempt to drive yourself for it can lead to an accident.

Determine if the person having the heart attack is allergic to aspirin. If you are sure that there is no allergy, then have him or her chew and swallow an aspirin. It will alleviate the discomfort or severe pain being experienced by the person. For those people who have been prescribed with nitroglycerin before, you may take this as well. If your doctor has not yet prescribed you with this, do not take it. You might be allergic to it or your body might react in some other way that will just worsen the situation at hand.

When the person having heart attack suddenly becomes unconscious, CPR is recommended. If you already know how to do it, you can perform it on the person but be sure to inform the 911 dispatcher or any medical specialist you successfully contacted that you are about to do it. If you have not received any training on how to perform the CPR, the 911 dispatcher may just instruct you on how to do the chest compressions and skip the mouth to mouth rescue breathing.

Through all of these, it is vital that you remain calm. Having a panic attack will not help at all in this situation. Keep all of these in mind and you might just save a life. To make sure that your knowledge about CPR does not become rusty, you should practice undergoing CPR training at least once a year. It is also a good idea to ensure that you read up on the latest findings by the AHA on how to carry out chest compressions.

The heart, considered as the strongest muscle in the body. It is one of the few organs that has an electrical system responsible for controlling the heartbeat as well as normalizing the heart rate or the number of times that the heart beats per minute, and the heart rhythm or the synchronized pumping action of the heart. Because of the role it plays, it is of prime importance that the beating pattern of the heart is kept regular. Once the heart encounters a problem with this electrical system, the heart will experience irregular heartbeats that often results in a sudden cardiac arrest. Sudden cardiac arrest is when the heart suddenly stops beating.

People who suffer from a sudden cardiac arrest can die within minutes from the skip in the heart beat pattern. Because of this, it cannot be denied that most people are unable to provide the right kind of assistance to the patient. This makes it important for everyone to know speedy treatment like the cardiopulmonary resuscitation or CPR and the use of defibrillator. Defibrillator is a machine that can send electric shocks to the heart to restore the heart’s normal rhythm. In public places like schools, malls and hotels, an automated external defibrillator (AED) can be found and used in times of emergency.

Aside from this, of course, it is more important for people to know the risk factors that could increase the likelihood of an occurrence of a sudden cardiac arrest. These risks include having high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, smoking, having diabetes, too much consumption of alcohol, obesity, and drug abuse. Also, people who have a family history of cardio artery disease or heart attack are at risk.

In order to significantly reduce these risks, it is vital to have a healthy and active lifestyle. A healthy diet consists of eating a variety of fruits and vegetables, whole grains products, foods that are low in sugar, trans fat, saturated fat and cholesterol. Lean meats, fish, beans and low-fat milk are perfect for these criteria. A healthy activity on the other hand includes aerobic physical work out like walking, jogging, running and cycling. Living a sedentary life should be something that you should shy away from. This means, lessen the amount of time you usually spend in front of the TV or the computer.

Getting regular medical check-ups can also decrease the risk of having a sudden cardiac arrest. Doctors can give patients customized activities and diet to maintain the ideal weight and live a full but healthy life.

If you are at risk for a heart disease, you need to make sure that the people around you would know what to do. Having an AED unit on hand can be of great help to them especially if they have not had any formal training in proper administration of CPR. An AED can provide them with needed instructions when it comes to determining whether chest compression would suffice, or if there is a need for an application of electrical charge. In most cases, an AED would come with both oral and visual instructions on what needs to be done.

The American Heart Association, also known as the AHA, states that, about every 34 seconds, a person suffers from a heart attack, and that is in the United States alone. A heart attack happens when arteries that supply the heart with blood becomes narrow due to a buildup of cholesterol, fat or some other substances. This blood clot prevents the oxygen from flowing, thus creating tissue damage as well as tissue death to the heart muscle. While most people equate heart attack with old age, the truth is, heart attack chooses no age and can be quite fatal. However, many people have come to survive it. One of the factors that increased the likelihood of these people surviving a heart attack is their knowledge of what signs to watch out for.

The Signs

The most common symptoms of heart attack are chest pain and profuse sweating. Keep in mind though that the warning signs could vary from person to person and not everyone will get to experience chess pain. This makes it important to learn the other signs. After all, the main denominator of every heart attack remains to be early treatment to have less damage.

Heart Foundation of Australia has listed more warning signs on heart attack. Aside from the very common sign of pain in the chest, a person may also feel tightness or a crushing sensation in the chest. This may leave a person feeling restless. Other symptoms include pain in the jaw, choking feeling in the neck, discomfort in the shoulders, back pains specifically the portion between the shoulder blades and the feeling of heaviness of the arms. A person may also feel nauseous and dizzy or experience shortness of breath and produce cold sweat.

To make sure that you do not have to go through these symptoms, it is important to have a change in one’s lifestyle. Eating healthy and getting active through physical activities are advisable. Reducing the intake of sugar and controlling cholesterol will prevent clogged arteries; managing blood pressure is beneficial in reducing stress in heart and arteries. If you are the kind of person who cannot resist consuming a stick of cigarette every now and than, consider either turning cold turkey or, at least, minimizing your consumption per day. Keep in mind that most heart attacks take place because the heart is unable to receive the right amount of oxygen.

Being at risk for heart attack is a major issue. That being the case, it is only right that you make sure you, as well as the people around you, have what it takes to deal with any kind of scenario. Some of the things that you should consider would include enrolling yourself or those around you in a CPR training class. Citywide CPR provides such training programs. You should also consider getting your hands on an AED unit. This nifty electronic device works great for those who do not have enough knowledge on how to perform a proper CPR. Most units come with visual as well as oral instructions on what needs to be done. It can also help in determining whether you would need chest compression first or an electric jolt.

The heart may be just as small as the fist, but it is considered to be one of the strongest muscles in the human body. Aside from this, it is also one of the most important organs simply because of the fact that it controls the whole blood circulation. As small as it is, the heart can actually create enough energy to drive a truck for 20 miles, pump 1.5 million barrels of blood during a lifetime, beat 100,000 times a day, and many more. Aside from this, it is only the heart that has a special cluster of self-starting cells. These cells are responsible fro making sure that the heart is able to beat a specific pattern. This makes it even more important for us to make sure that we take good care of the heart to prevent heart diseases.

Regardless of age, the two best ways to prevent a heart disease are being physically active and following a healthy eating habit. To be physically healthy, the human body needs at least 150 minutes of aerobic physical activity like brisk walking or 75 minutes of an intensified aerobic physical activity like running or cycling or a combination of both activities. A muscle-strengthening activity every week is also ideal to have the muscle groups- legs, hips, back, chest, arms, abdomen and shoulders working. This includes activities like push ups, sit ups, and squats. While you’re at it,  you also need to make sure that you keep away from a sedentary way of life. This means limiting the amount of hours you spend in front of the TV as well as the computer.

Aside from having an active lifestyle, the food that people eat plays a vital role in the risk of having heart disease or stroke. A healthy diet contains fiber-rich whole grains, fish, nuts, seeds and fruits and vegetables. It is also advisable to avoid meat as much as possible or take meat only twice or thrice a week. As to dairy products, doctors suggest choosing fat-free and low-fat ones. Likewise, choose foods that are low in saturated fats, cholesterol, sodium, sugar and trans fat. Now, this does not have to mean that you would be eating bland food your whole life. The secret lies in how you prepare your food. For example, you can top your oatmeal with slices of your favorite fruit. You can prepare a tuna spread which you can put on top of crackers; or you can do canapes with some help from your leftover bread. If you have a sweet tooth, you can turn your favorite fruit into a smoothie and have it chilled.

Although heart diseases can affect anyone regardless of age, older adults are still advised to take extra caution. Some of the steps that you can take in order to better prepare yourself for the worst scenario would be to have a AED unit on hand as well as to undergo CPR training. It will be helpful also to learn the warning signs of a heart attack or stroke to know when to consult a doctor or not. Just as the old adage says, prevention is better than cure.

A heart attack, or what is known as the myocardial infarction in the medical world, takes place when the flow of blood in a person’s heart is blocked with a clot, fat or cholesterol. Once the blood flow is interrupted, the heart muscle becomes damaged due to the lack of oxygen reaching it. What actually happens is that the cells in the heart muscle starts to die due to oxygen starvation. Although heart attack is one of the most common heart diseases and can sometimes be fatal, many people now survive this disease and get to return to active lives again.

Dr. Richard Lee of Harvard Heart Letter said in one of his papers that, during the 1970s, 40% of heart attack victims die from the attack or from further complications. Today, that percentage has been greatly reduced to around 10%. This significant change is attributed to the fact that there have been a number of advances made in drug therapy as well as effective public campaigns and higher awareness. The medical procedure called angioplasty has also gone radical changes that allowed it to better save lives. Of course, it also helps that more and more people have now become aware of the different first aid techniques that they can use while waiting for the paramedics to arrive.

In this time of modern technology and studies, the medical world was able to produce advanced drugs for treating blood-clod in the heart like streptokinase. Drugs like beta blockers and statins have also been shown to protect the heart after a heart attack. This was made apparent after using the said medication in a number of clinical trials.

Information and education campaigns have also made people more aware when it comes to the symptoms and signs not only of heart attack but also of other cardiovascular diseases. Knowing the classical symptoms like severe chest pain and profuse sweating can make people take action right away. Doctors also tend to include in their public campaigns the non-classical symptoms that usually happen to women including nausea, vomiting and shoulder pains.

Once a person feels the symptoms and a doctor confirms the situation, a procedure called angioplasty can be performed right away. This is the process of opening the blocked artery, thus restoring the blood flow. Though this procedure has become available in the 90s, not all hospitals have the equipment to perform angioplasty. Today, a lot of hospitals are now capable with this life-saving procedure along with the other wonders that technology brought to science.

Now, if you or someone you know is at risk for a heart attack, it would be to your advantage to have an AED unit on hand, or at least to learn about how to properly administer, at the very least, chest compression. Citywide CPR is one of the institutions that you can go to if you would like to know how to work your way around an AED unit as well as how to properly conduct a CPR.

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation, or CPR, refers to a combination of techniques intended to manually pump the heart to get blood circulating in the body. The aim of doing so is to deliver oxygen to the brain of a person under sudden cardiac arrest until definitive measures are taken to get the heart working again. In most cases, these “definitive measures” are carried out by paramedics or medical professionals in the hospital.

If a person shows no signs of life or a person is unconscious, not breathing or just gasping, a CPR must be performed right away. According to the American Heart Association, if a person is not trained to do CPR, or has had training in the past but is not confident about carrying the whole cycle out, a hands-only CPR will do. Hands-only CPR is an uninterrupted chest compression of 100 a minute until an ambulance arrives. On the other hand, if a person received CPR training and performs CPR regularly, a CPR with 30 compressions can be started before checking the airway and giving rescue breaths. Now, for a chest compression to be effective, it has to be at least an inch deep.

The American Heart Association, also known as the AHA, has also crafted an acronym- CAB for people to always remember the procedure of CPR. C stands for Compressions that will restore blood circulation, A is for airway and B is for breathing or breath for the person under cardiac arrest. This was a re-arrangement of the previous A-B-C cycle that most first aiders have come to know about in the past.

Chest compression is done by placing the heel of one hand on the center of a person’s chest, placing the other hand on top of the first hand and pushing straight down the chest for at least 2 inches. It is important to remember to keep the elbows straight and placing the shoulders directly above the hands. The chest compression should also be done in a smoother manner, without the aider jerking on each pump. This is to prevent unnecessary pressure on the ribs of the patient.

In clearing the person’s airway, the head-tilt, chin-lift maneuver is done. By putting the palm on a person’s forehead, tilting it back and lifting the chin to forward, the airway is opened. Of course, in some cases, tilting the head and lifting the chin might not be enough. That being the case, you need to make sure that you do an inspection of the throat. Once airway is open, pinch the person’s nostrils and prepare to give a rescue breath. If the chest rises, give a second breath. Repeat the head-tilt, chin-lift maneuver. These instructions are not substitute for training, though. It is still best to undergo training to learn CPR and who knows, one might save a life.

If you are interested in knowing how to administer CPR, your best move would be to take advantage of the different CPR training programs currently being offered by Citywide CPR