The Cardiac Chain of Survival

 

Early CPR

 

The second link in the cardiac chain of survival is early CPR. CPR keeps oxygen rich blood flowing to vital organs until an AED or advanced life support is available. CPR has saved many lives over the years and is the essence of the basic life support (BLS) class. Without early effective CPR, victims of cardiac arrest have very little chance of survival. Take for instance the heart attack victim who has collapsed and suffered cardiac arrest, and no CPR is initiated.   It takes about 4 to 6 minutes for brain damage to occur on the average adult victim. Let’s say it is in during rush hour and the ambulance takes 7 to 9 minutes to arrive. This means the victims has already suffered some significant brain damage and it is unlikely that there will be a positive outcome.

Not all resuscitations are successful. In this situation if the person survives, it would probably be successful in that the person is still alive, but if the person is completely brain dead I don’t know that it would be counted as “success”. I guess it all depends on your perspective. From a paramedic’s personal perspective, I would consider it unsuccessful resuscitation. CPR needs to be started immediately and needs to be fast, hard and interrupted as little as possible. Effective CPR buys the victim some time and keeps them from going brain dead and suffering cardiac death.

 

 

 

Emergencies of this caliber are not often experienced by everyone in the general public. Some people have had CPR classes for year and have yet to actually do it. I was teaching CPR classes for two year before I actually had to do it. CPR certification is often a requirement for employment with certain organizations. The American Red Cross CPR certification is valid for one year, while the American Heart Association and the American Safety and Health Institute certifications are valid for two years. Either way, current certification is required to ensure that those who are more likely to experience emergencies are not clueless on what to do or how they can help.

Often, what happens before EMS personnel arrive can make the difference in the effectiveness of their interventions. If nothing was done for the cardiac arrest victim and the victim was without oxygen for some time, it is unlikely that all the skill of paramedics and the emergency department will be effective.

The public plays a critical role in the cardiac chain of survival. About 90% of the people taking CPR classes do so because it is a requirement for a job or school. I don’t meet very many people that take the class because they want to be prepared. Sometime’s I do, but it is literally 1 out of 1000.  Recertifying your CPR is like opening a file that has been closed for a bit, dusting it off and adding some more content to it.  Not recertifying your CPR is like letting termites eat away at the file; pretty soon it is complete gone. One reason is because we forget, and another reason is because things change. Science is constantly bringing us new discoveries in emergency care, and as a result, we are able to save more lives If you have never had a CPR class or it is time for a re-certification please do contact us for training rates for you or your staff. It could make the difference between life and death.

 

Vital Ethics Inc.

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