The magical electric-giving pads. This is how most TV series and films portray an Automated External Defibrillator most commonly referred to as AEDs. Unfortunately, this machine is not magical at all and no, it does not revive a patient. This is one of the most common misconception about how AEDs work. It is vital that everyone get a clear idea on the facts regarding this equipment that can extend a life, not bring it back.

Due to the developments to medical equipment, the manual defibrillator that can only be used within the vicinity of the hospital can now be used by more people. The AED is programmed in such a way that even people who have no proper training can give a shock to a patient in need of it. Due to its size and mobility features, more and more people can have access to AED. Therefore, making it possible to save more lives even when a cardiac arrest happens outside the vicinity of a hospital.

In many ways CPR and AED work together to increase the chances of survival of a cardiac arrest victim. There are times when an AED is not readily available and CPR is the best alternative. Administering CPR can ensure that there is at least minimal blood flow of oxygenated blood to vital organs such as the brain. In short, high quality CPR can buy a patient some time and even improve the chances of survival in AED. There has been a positive correlation to the quality of compressions to the success rate of AED on cardiac arrest patients.

It is only normal to have inhibitions on using AED since it involves an actual life. It can be overwhelming and this is why everyone can do with helpful facts and not on baseless hearsays. Shocks from AED are not harmful and the only thing that you can feel is a tinge when you are in contact with the patient. It is, however, better to practice precaution by wearing latex gloves if available. AEDs are very easy to use even without proper training. When in doubt, call 911 then utilize the AED. The operator as well as the guidelines in the equipment itself will guide you all throughout the process. Try to follow everything as dutifully as possible. When placing the pads on the victim’s chest, be sure to follow the diagram as closely as possible.

Certain situations that involve the current condition of the patient also comes into light when giving AED shocks. When the victim is a woman and is wearing a bra, move it upwards until it reaches the neck then follow the diagram on where the pads should be placed. In isolated cases of men with hairy chest, it is better to keep the hair out by shaving them off. Keep a shaver with the AED for these cases. Defibrillation works best in dry surfaces and if a victim is drenched in water, towel the chest area dry.

In general, having an AED and appropriate knowledge on administering it will always, always be for the good. This is one reason why more organizations are clamoring for having more AEDs in areas where large group of people gather. Even more, trainings for CPR and AED is highly recommended for everyone.

Back in the days, defibrillators fail to see past the walls of a hospital. Aside from this, to be able to use one you have to be knowledgeable on reading the heart’s rhythm to determine whether or not a shock is needed in the first place. Thankfully, the advancements in technology made defibrillator an equipment that can be used by a common citizen, with or without prior knowledge on using it. This aspect of AED is a real game-turner that has significantly lessened the number of cardiac arrest-related deaths.

There are times and situations, however, when AED should not be used. It is necessary to know just what situations call for the use of this equipment. There are times when AED can pose a hazard to people around the patient. This equipment gives shock to help a cardiac arrest victim’s heartbeat. If the patient is lying on a metal surface, delivering the necessary shock can be dangerous for both the patient and the people around him. Prior knowledge about conductors of electric current come into play when defining the tricky conditions on using AED. For precaution, be aware of the surroundings when trying to give this first aid.

What if the patient is lying on a puddle or is partially soaked? You have to weigh a lot of factors on this one. If the patient is a trauma-victim, it is for the best that you do not move him. Underlying injuries that cannot be evaluated just by looking may or may not be present and moving him is the least you would want to do. In this situation, dry his chest and remove any wet clothing before attaching the pads. If you are positive that the patient is not in anyway, suffering from trauma, move him to a dry place before using the AED. Be wary of combustible materials such as gasoline or solvents as well.

The analysis of AED on the heart rhythm of a patient can also be affected by varying factors. Remember how people who specialize in reading the heart rhythm of a patient should analyze the patient before administering a shock? An AED can do that even without an operator, however, it can also go wrong. If you are on a moving vehicle, for example, an AED’s analysis can go wrong by administering a shock when it is not needed. This can highly affect the patient’s condition. Aside from this, contact with body hair can also lessen the efficiency of AED. If the patient has a hairy chest, you must shave it so the pads can do its job appropriately.

The AED has gone a long way since it was first invented as a manual equipment that are doomed to never reach the outside of the hospital walls. The easy-to-use and mobility functions of AED has literally increased survival rates. Science has already and been doing its part and it is time that people step up of their plate. The equipment is very easy to use and hand-in-hand with CPR, anyone can save one life at a time.

Administering CPR is one of the most important first aid practices that should be learned by everyone who is healthy enough to do it. This is due to the possibility of cardiac arrest happening to anyone. It can happen anytime, anywhere.

Perhaps you have just seen the act done on TV of have heard of it somewhere and it spiked your interest. Knowing the basic information with regards to CPR can always be handy in times of crisis. Here are some of the frequently asked questions about it.

What is CPR?

CPR stands for Cardiac Pulmonary Resuscitation that involves sets of compression on the chest and breathing for a victim that has just had a cardiac arrest. When cardiac arrest happens outside the hospital, CPR is administered as a first aid and must be continued until professional help arrives.

Can CPR cause death?

CPR can save lives and no; it cannot cause death. A cardiac arrest victim has just suffered a sudden blackout of the heart, disrupting the blood flow to important vital organs such as the brain and the lungs. CPR helps replace the function of the heart by pounding on the chest with sets of compression that aims to continue the blood flow to these organs. Yes, he is not dead but he will soon be if not attended to. CPR cannot cause death and basically cardiac arrest victims are close to being clinically dead. The only way to increase their chances of survival is through CPR. The only thing that can cause death is if a bystander does not do anything at all.

What are the basics of CPR?

Before CPR’s first step is to ensure that the victim has a free airway, then the rescuer would breathe into the victim’s mouth then start doing compression. This method is the ABC approach. Recently, the American Heart Association (AHA) has changed this to CAB approach. Due to this, a rescuer has to start giving out compressions right away. The sets of compressions should be fast and deep, going to at least two inches of depth on the victim’s chest. After 30 sets of compression, breathe into the victim’s mouth twice, then get back to compressing the chest. This should be repeated with minimal interruptions until professional help arrives.

In which moments should I use ABC approach?

Now it is important to note that there are cases when the ABC approach must be done instead of CAB. For starters, newborn infants require this approach since the cause of cardiac arrest is most likely to be hypoxia or the deficiency in the amount of oxygen reaching the tissues. This is why there should be emphasis given on the importance of supplying the breaths to increase the survival rate instead of sets of compression. Aside from this, patients that do not have pulse due to hypothermia or the lack of needed heat in the body requires CPR in ABC approach as well.

These are just some of the questions that most CPR-interested people ask. These pieces of information are critical and knowing them can make a difference; however, undergoing training for CPR can be better than just reading about the practice or watching online videos about it. An intensive CPR training will properly equip you with the much-needed skills for administering proper CPR.

Cardiac arrest can happen to anyone in no particular time. Kids and pregnant women are not exceptions to suffering from this condition. When cardiac arrest strikes on women that are carrying a life inside of them, certain factors have to be considered.

The first thing that one can do is to fully understand the physical changes that a woman’s body undergoes during pregnancy. These changes will significantly affect resuscitation and chances of survival of both the mother and the infant.

Blood flow has to be considered when one administers CPR. A pregnant woman, for that matter, will have her blood volume increased by 50%. Her red cell volume increases for only 30%. To accommodate this volume, the woman’s heart has to work extra hard by increasing the heart rate by 15%.

Aside from this, a woman’s respiratory system has moved upward to accommodate the growth of the uterus that houses the infant. This in turn leads to displacement of trachea and the diaphragm. Notice how pregnant women tend to breathe faster than normal. This is her respiratory system’s attempt to meet the increased oxygen need.

Another thing that has to adjust to give space for the growing infant is the gastrointestinal aspect of the body. Due to the displacement of the stomach as it moves upward, a pregnant woman is considered to be prone to heartburn and constipation. In fact, pregnant women are always considered to have a “full stomach” increasing the risk for aspiration or the drawing of foreign matter into the lungs, especially during resuscitation.

The biggest change happens in the uterus to house the infant for 8 to 9 months. The uterus has gone so big that there is a higher risk of aortocaval compression when the woman is in a supine position that can lead to hypotension and loss of consciousness.

All of these changes in the body of a pregnant woman has to be considered in case of a cardiac arrest event. The first step will always be to get someone to call help but in this situation mention that the victim is a pregnant woman and request the presence of an obstetrician.

To administer the required sets of compression, the rescuer must manually move the uterus to the left to ensure that the major veins have blood flow. Just like with any cardiac arrest victim make sure that the victim is lying on a flat surface and if the surface can be tilted make use of it. When the worst scenario happens, consider getting a caesarean section (C-section) to get the baby out. Professional help is much needed to secure the safety of both the mother and the baby.

These guidelines are considered safe and have helped save more lives. It is noteworthy that the mortality rate of pregnant women due to cardiac arrest has significantly decreased since these guidelines are issued by the American Heart Association (AHA).

CPR, undoubtedly, saves lives. Even in delicate situations, it increases the survival rate of a cardiac arrest victim. This is why it is of utmost important that everyone know the basics of administering the proper CPR on different persons—children, pregnant women, and the like.

CPR is commonly attributed to the act of pumping the heart of a victim of sudden cardiac arrest in the effort to resuscitate it. Most people do not know that pumping the heart is one of the ways of getting oxygen into the bloodstream and into the brain. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation does not necessary entail the restarting of the heart. The primary purpose of cardiopulmonary resuscitation is to deliver oxygen to the brain continuously.

Oxygen for the brain is fuel for the body’s engine. Without enough oxygen, the brain may experience symptoms such as memory loss, malfunctioning motor skills, lack of focus and decision-making skills, seizure, going comatose, inability to breath, and brain death. These symptoms all occur due to the lack of proper oxygen to keep the brain working properly. These symptoms lead to the disease called brain hypoxia.

Anyone is at risk of cutting off the brain’s supply of oxygen. Those who experience head trauma, or those who do activities that expose them to sustained low-oxygen environments are more susceptible to developing brain hypoxia, as well as those who have hypotension, ALS, or asthma. For victims of sudden cardiac arrests, brain hypoxia is a very common threat, saved only by proper administration of CPR by trained persons.

The brain functions thanks to the supply of glucose and oxygen allowing the nerve impulses to occur within the brain. This is a very energy consuming process hence the need for the continuous supply of glucose and oxygen. A minute without oxygen can cause the brain to shut down and cause small complications such as dizziness and loss of focus. The longer a person lacks the supply of oxygen in their brain, the more complications will arise. It is to say that for victims of cardiac arrest, loss of heart activity directly relates to lack of oxygen in the brain. CPR is the only way to sustain the supply of oxygen as it directly compresses and expands the heart, forcing blood through blood vessels just to deliver it to the brain.

To prevent brain hypoxia, the most important thing to do is to see a doctor on whether brain hypoxia is a threat to your health due to your activities or any unknown cause. Unexpected deprivation of oxygen is also a possible event, for example during a fire, immediately administering proper CPR will prevent the condition from getting worse fast.

The proper way of administering CPR is through consistent pumping of the chest cavity to make the heart compress and expand naturally. It is important to get the right amount of pressure, as too little will not make a difference, and too much may result in more internal injuries that could complicate things furthermore. For those who want to be prepared in the event that anyone in the vicinity would need immediate CPR treatment, going to training to hone your skill is a great option. Finding the right training program near you can help you become proficient in providing the necessary procedure for those experiencing sudden cardiac arrest and brain hypoxia.

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation or CPR is a famous procedure that saves the lives of those with trouble breathing or those under sudden cardiac arrest. Most of the time, there are a lot of myths and misunderstandings that the untrained laymen would not understand regarding CPR. Here are some of the questions:

Should the force of pumping be enough to break the ribs?

Absolutely not. The compression should measure at least an inch or two into the chest area of the victim, but that does not entail breaking the ribs to get there. The chance of broken ribs increases with the lack of training of someone administering CPR, although a cracked rib happens more often with older patients, as the bones are more brittle and susceptible to breaking from pressure. People are convinced that administering CPR to a skinny person will have a greater chance of breaking their ribs, but this is not the case. Age, not weight, is the only factor that leads to bone damage during CPR.

Is CPR always successful?

As a matter of fact, CPR is mostly unsuccessful. This fact is accepted by those who undergo CPR training. CPR does not necessitate the revival of someone with a stopped heart, but it should be done nonetheless. Those suffering cardiac arrest are already considered as “clinically dead” so administering CPR should always be done to increase chances of revival.

How do you know if CPR is working?

Some signs that indicate that the CPR administration is working is the rise of the chest of the patient. This means that giving mouth-to-mouth resuscitation gives stimulation to the lungs. The air a person administering CPR exhales is composed of 16% oxygen, which is close to the 20% that is normally absorbed through regular respiration. Continuous administration of CPR is the only thing that ensures survivability and increased chances of revival.

What is hands-only CPR?

Hands-only CPR is the administration of chest compression CPR, removing mouth-to-mouth resuscitation in the process. This is done when the person administering CPR is unwilling or not confident in performing ventilation via mouth. Hands-only CPR also occurs when there are 2 people performing CPR, in which one person performs the compression only on the victim while the other performs breathing into the victim’s mouth. In the case of 2-person CPR, the ratio of compression to resuscitation is still 30 compressions to 2 resuscitations, repeated until revival.

When should I start and stop performing CPR?

CPR is an immediate reaction to revive an unconscious person. An individual should start performing CPR as soon as signs of breathing has stopped in a victim. If unable to perform CPR, a 911 emergency dispatcher can run through the process for the one performing. There are no consequences whatsoever for someone performing CPR as they are covered by the Good Samaritan Law and the administration of CPR is always more important over anything else.

For those that are interested in being a helpful citizen, trainings are available to learn the proper and effective CPR techniques for the event when a person will need your help.

The influence that is brought by both television and films cannot be denied. Back when the internet was still on its way, the motion picture industry has conquered majority of the consumers. This is evident in the staggering number of studios that was built back in the day. The industry shapes lives and even fosters culture up until today. There are times, however, when the portrayals done by actors on the screen are not properly in sync with what really happens in real life. Administering CPR is one of those things.

There are numerous hospital dramas that are watched by numerous viewers, and every now and then a patient that needs CPR or AED is incorporated into its plot for the progression of story. Now this is where the crucial misconceptions happen.

Normally, when an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest happens, people who can administer CPR goes to rescue the patient. This is what really happens in real life: CPR is administered while somebody calls an ambulance, CPR is continued until AED is available. You wouldn’t hear someone yell out “I know CPR, I’ve seen it on TV!”, and give compressions to the victim. Unfortunately, this scene is always portrayed by the actors on the screen, and what’s even more disturbing is the quality of compressions that they give. The American Heart Association has given emphasis on the quality of compressions that one should give in place of breathing for the patient. Most of the time, the actors on screen do not press enough on the victim’s chest to give quality compressions. And this “act” is watched by several people who may or may not have enough knowledge on the importance of CPR as it is.

Another point worth mentioning is the proper use of AED. One of the most common setting of a hospital drama is the emergency room where a critical patient will either make it alive or not. This is natural, in a real hospital setup but for plot reasons on screen, this is a favorite. Most of the time, actors who act as doctors would “rub” the pads of the AED before giving a patient an electrical shock. Others call this a “good luck rub”; however, it does not really do anything to increase the effectivity of the AED. In fact, the rubbing of the pads can even damage the device. Also, the placement of the pads when giving a shock also differs from the practice that medical professionals do in real life. Notice how the pads are placed parallel each other across a patient’s chest? That’s not how you do it. The National Institute of Health instructs the placement of one pad on the right center of the person’s chest just above the nipple and the other pad slightly below the other nipple and to the left of the rib cage. And one thing that is the mother of all misconceptions of CPR and AED: the flat-line. Medically speaking, you cannot revive a patient with a flat-line. An AED can only go as far as correcting the irregular heartbeat, not restart a heart. The only way to treat a patient with a flat-line is through CPR.

Of course, you can still continue to watch these medical dramas that you see on TV but it is vital that you know this information so you can decipher an act for a fact. Learning CPR and AED from television or online videos for that matter can only help you so far but taking proper training from credible professionals such as Citywide CPR can give you real facts that you can use in real-life.

Everyone loves a good drama. No matter the medium—television, radio, magazine, internet—most people like to see the overused theme of man’s struggle and his rise above the odds. This is why medical dramas and its counterparts are well-loved and well-received by the audience.

One flaw that is seen on almost any medical drama though is the revival of a patient with flat-line. Miraculously, a doctor will be sending electrical charges to a patient with no heart rhythm and his heart will restart. Viola! The patient lives to tell the tale. This is something that medical professionals find either absurd or highly entertaining because in reality, you cannot revive a flat-line patient using electrical shocks.

It is important first and foremost that we understand how our heart works before the flat-line norm is discussed. For our hearts to function, shocks must be given to it so it would produce contractions that would then send blood to the brain and other vital organs of the body. To summarize without the intricacies of physiology, the electrolytes (potassium, sodium and calcium) are responsible for reaching the right amount of charge so the heart can send out its shock known as depolarization in the Sinoartrial node (SA node). From this shock, the atria contracts that is the upper part of the heart while the ventricles receive the blood from the upper part, thus what we now know as the pulse.

In a cardiac arrest, a patient has no pulse and would need an electrical shock. There are a number of heart rhythms that occur during a cardiac arrest; however, the most is Ventricular fibrillation. Remember the electrolytes that create the charge for a shock in the SA node? When the SA node fails to create this beat, other cells within the heart “attempt” to produce the necessary shock to make a beat. This results to simultaneous shocks from different directions to numerous areas of the heart, creating an erratic beat that resembles that of a heart having a seizure. The goal of the shock from an AED is to create an electrical charge that is stronger than the ones generated by the other cells to push all the electrolytes out of the cells at the same time while hoping that the normal operation of the heart takes over.

So when a patient is in asystole or having a flat-line, there are no electrolytes inside the cells to shock. What you would be doing is shocking an empty vessel and you would get nothing more than a flat-line. The gist is that you need to have an electrical impulse, no matter how little it is, to work with. Shocking a patient that had asystole would only burn his heart with the heat created from the shock.

In the end, it always pays to be a smart viewer. You simply cannot take all information without giving the benefit of the doubt. If you get an information and want to be sure of it, you can research about it. If you really want to know more about CPR and AED, instead of relying on medical dramas, you yourself can learn how to properly administer and even when to administer CPR or AED by undergoing training. Certified training courses such as the ones provided by Citywide CPR is a more relevant way of learning your first aid, with no flawed information and facts.

Cardiac arrest is the culprit behind a massive number of deaths worldwide. Despite of the many advancements in technology this issue still persists to attack people, no matter the race, gender and age. Nevertheless, medical efforts on addressing this condition cannot be overlooked. Over the years, the manual equipment used to revive a patient’s heartbeat has now become automated, thus the advent of Automated External Defibrillator or AED.

From Manual Defibrillation To Automated External Defibrillation: The Advancements

Back in the days, defibrillator is only available on certain areas such as hospitals and clinics. This is a matter of concern since cardiac arrests are statistically likely to occur outside the vicinity of hospitals. Although proper administering of CPR can greatly increase the chances of survival of a cardiac arrest patient, he must still be brought to a hospital for defibrillation—the process of applying an electric shock to the chest.

Manual defibrillation, the traditional form, requires complex skill by the person using it. One of the features of this machine is its ability to read heart rhythms, referred to as electrocardiogram (ECG). Therefore, the operator of the machine must have knowledge on reading and interpreting heart rhythms to recognize abnormalities that require the use of defibrillation. Once the need for the electric shock is acknowledged, the operator should manually operate the particular model of defibrillator available.

Through the years, the machine has become more portable and Emergency Medical Service (EMS) can now use the equipment event outside hospital boundaries. This is a significant step forward on addressing ventricular fibrillation cases outside hospital bounds. During this time, the equipment is brought to the patient and is administered by carefully trained and supervised paramedics, instead of the other way around.

Computers that are invented forty years earlier has become much smaller during the 1980s. It is also during this period that the defibrillator everyone knows has become computerized as well. Coined as AEDs, these devices greatly reduced the complexities that the traditional defibrillator required. An AED is capable of reading and interpreting a person’s heart rhythm and can instantly deliver shock to the patient with minimal input from the operator. This feature made it possible for people who do not have a medical background to use AED on a cardiac arrest patient.

As the complex steps in using defibrillator decreased, the accessibility of this basic life support increased. Any ambulance, even without the presence of advanced paramedics, is equipped by this device. Soon, police officers are also provided the use of AEDs. Being one of the first people to arrive at a medical emergency situation, police units can now give defibrillation to a patient. After continuous evidence that this device is extremely easy to utilize, public access to AED s are granted. These advances in the accessibility of AED dramatically increased the chances of survival of out-of-hospital cardiac arrests.

Nowadays, numerous states recognize the relatively easy-to-use function of AED in comparison to its importance. Due to this, there are true public access defibrillation programs on many states. The number of cardiac arrest occurrence remain to be staggering in amount. The presence of AEDs on any place may continue to increase just like how fire distinguisher is present in any establishment. Cardiac arrests can get just as deadly as fire, so why not have it readily available in your place?

Further explorations on human body has paved the way for more discoveries on administering cardiopulmonary resuscitation and all of them are put to practice to save more lives. In line with this, the American Heart Association (AHA) have listed some of CPR techniques that can be used aside from the conventional CPR approach in an out-of-hospital and in-hospital cardiac arrest scenario.

CPR Techniques

High-frequency compression is a technique practiced to improve resuscitations for a cardiac arrest. In this method, the compressions given on a victim must be at least 100 to 120 per minute. Clinical trials that have been conducted shows improved hemodynamics, that is the circulation of blood in the body, when high-frequency compressions are used compared to conventional chest compressions. It is important to note however, that there is still insufficient evidence to recommend daily use of this.

In an open-chest CPR, on the other hand, an incision is made into the chest (thoracotomy) to perform CPR directly against the sternum commonly known as the breastbone. This technique however, is highly recommended when a cardiac arrest happens during a surgery when the chest or abdomen of the patient is already open. Although in a very select scenario of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in adults and children with penetrating trauma, this technique can be considered. Noteworthy to be considered, some cases where open-chest CPR and thoracotomy is performed, survivors have experienced minimal even zero neurological deficit.

Another CPR technique involves the simultaneous practice of abdominal compression, chest compression and ventilations. This technique is called the interposed abdominal compression (IAC-CPR). In this procedure, there will be three rescuers who would attend to a single cardiac arrest patient. The dedicated rescuer will provide manual abdominal compression during the relaxation phase of chest compression. The quality—hand position, depth, rhythm and rate—of abdominal compressions is the same as the one required for chest compression. This technique is commonly administered during an in-hospital cardiac arrest occurrence with satisfactory results of “improved coronary perfusion pressure and blood flow to other vital organs” in most reports. One limitation of this technique is that it still remains to be proven whether or not it should be done in an out-of-hospital setting.

Prone CPR, just like IAC-CPR, is a technique that is highly recommended for hospitalized patients where an advanced airway is easily accessible. The general knowledge in administering CPR is to move the patient to a supine position; however, there are isolated cases wherein a patient cannot be placed in such and is placed in a prone position instead.

There are also some cases when a cardiac arrest patient is awake and conscious so he can be “instructed” on using Cough CPR. As the name implies, a patient suffering from an anticipated cardiac arrest (an arrhythmic cardiac arrest under a catheterization laboratory) is coached to forcefully cough every 1 to 3 seconds. Now, it is important to note that this scenario is supervised and happens in a controlled environment and can only be done when a patient is responsive. Technically, it cannot be taught to lay rescuers.

All of these techniques have been recognized by AHA; however, there are still studies and tests that need to be done to test their effectiveness on increasing the survival rate of a cardiac arrest patient in both in-hospital and out-of-hospital setup. There is one general knowledge though, that still remains to be true and that is CPR saves lives. This fact is enough to encourage everyone to learn how to administer CPR properly and you can do so by undergoing training by Citywide CPR.