There is no telling when you may need to know how to administer CPR. One minute you are in a meeting, on a tube, walking the dog, the next there is someone on the floor, having a heart attack.
UK statistics show that thousands of people die unnecessarily every year because bystanders are not equipped to carry out life-saving CPR on cardiac arrest victims before emergency services arrive.
The British Heart Foundation estimates that lack of confidence for the general public to ‘step in’ and help leads to around 10,000 deaths in 2016 across the UK.
Further evidence that the British public do not have the training to administer CPR in an emergency comes from The University of Warwick who has revealed that one-in-eight cardiac arrest patients could not be saved as CPR was started by the emergency services too late.
Why CPR?
Oxygen-rich blood is critical for the brain to keep working. Without it, brain death can start to occur in 5 minutes. CPR mimics the actions of the heart and lungs to prevent this from happening.
So we now know that performing immediate CPR when someone has a cardiac arrest can, in some cases, double the chance of survival.
If it is a public space like a busy shopping mall or library, it is possible that the community has come together to purchase a defibrillator.
What is a defibrillator?
A defibrillator is a computerised medical device delivers an electrical current through the chest which aims to re-establish an effective rhythm. Rapid response using automated technology can significantly improve the quality of life of a survivor, as the longer the brain is starved of oxygen, the more damage that can occur. An AED is a portable defibrillator especially designed for people with little or no medical background. When applied to the victim, voice commands and screen messages will guide the user step-by-step through the process and its intelligent technology will only allow it to shock a ‘shockable’ heart rhythm. AED technology opens a window for the public to take on a key role to support emergency services who would otherwise be hindered by the time it takes to reach the victim. It is argued that AEDs should be as broadly deployed as fire extinguishers and first aid kits.
To find out if there is access to a public defibrillator in your area visit http://www.heartsafe.org.uk/AED-Locations.
You can’t just rely on a public defibrillator being available to save your life or the life of your loved one. If more of us understood and could administer CPR the more lives, we will save.
CPR has to be administered immediately every minute lost reduces the chance of survival.
What would you do in an emergency?
We have all been taught since school to dial 999 in an emergency and this still is the first thing anybody should do if you suspect somebody is having a cardiac arrest.
But do you know what to do next?
We have listed below the key steps on administering CPR on an adult:-
- 1.CALL – Check the person is unresponsive and is not breathing or not breathing normally. Call 999 and immediately return to the patient and ensure they are lying flat on their back and have a clear airway.
- 2.PUMP – Push down in the centre of their chest 2 to 2.4 inches 30 times. Pump hard and fast at the rate of 100/120 per minute and faster than once per second.
- 3.BLOW – Tilt the head back and lift the chin. Pinch the nose and cover the mouth with yours and blow until you see the chest rise. Give 2 breaths. Each breath should take 1 second.
CONTINUE WITH 30 PUMPS AND 2 BREATHS UNTIL HELP ARRIVES.
Complications like vomiting can occur. If this happens turn the head to the side and sweep out or clear the airway.
Checking for a pulse – this is no longer taught or expected of a bystander to try and administer only a health care provider will check for a pulse. Instead, if there are no signs of life (such as no breathing, no movement, no response to voice) begin to PUMP on the chest. Remember, always provide TWO mouth-to-mouth breaths after every 30 compressions.
More information…
The HSE has provided some guidelines for employers who are unsure whether they need a trained first aider http://www.hse.gov.uk/firstaid/what-employers-need-to-do.htm. This is good advice if you are running a business, but we believe, at EndeavourUK that everybody should have some form of first aid training which incorporates how to perform CPR.
Our Level 3 Emergency First Aid at Work course is accredited by Highfields Awarding Body for Compliance (HABC) and does cover how to deliver CPR to an adult. We also offer paediatric first aid courses for people who work with children.
If you are not lucky enough to be able to attend a comprehensive first aid training course through your place of work. We do offer open courses so check out our Course Calendar for our latest courses.
Here is a clear diagram of what is covered on our First Aid courses:-
Want more information on First Aid or any of other Health and Safety courses then just drop us an email to info@endeavouruk.com.
Remember, we offer discounted rates for groups, regular promotional offers and can design training packages to offer full Health and Safety solutions to meet your business safety requirements.
SPECIAL OFFER
we are offering 20% OFF all our in-house First Aid courses secured before 15 January 2018 to be delivered before 30 June 2018. To secure your preferred dates for us to come to you to deliver any of our First Aid accredited courses then call Tina on:
020 3637 5161