Mom Chronicles: Hints from the road
Take Heart: What Every Parent Should Know About CPR
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- by Brooke Stephens on Wed Mar 2, 2011 - Add comment
Do you know what to do if your child, teenager, partner, or neighbor collapses from sudden cardiac arrest?
It could happen. According to Take Heart America, a 'sudden cardiac arrest' survival initiative based out of Ohio, approximately 300,000 Americans die from sudden cardiac arrest each year. There is no way to predict whether you will ever need to know and use CPR. But learning to utilize Compression-only CPR before emergency responders arrive could make the difference between recovery and death in someone you know-- and it will take less time to learn than it takes to finish your morning coffee.
should I do something? should I wait? can I get sued if I try to help? is she breathing or not?There is a new push across the US to educate the public about the importance of bystander CPR. Many people incorrectly think, "Why not leave it to the professionals?" First of all, what if you are in the backcountry and help is more than one hour away? You need to assume the role of first responder should a medical emergency occur in the wilderness.
Even if you are in a town or city, where help is nearby, there is research from the American Heart Association (AHA) that shows survival rates in victims of cardiac arrest can triple when bystander CPR is performed immediately. Most bystanders are helpful and knowledgeable enough to assist by calling 9-1-1 to request emergency help if they witness a person (stranger or family member) in cardiac arrest. The next step, hard and fast compressions, is just as critical though, and without training many people will wonder - should I do something? should I wait? can I get sued if I try to help? is s/he breathing or not?
Resources and programs are available in your community to answer all of those questions - ahead of time - so that you can feel prepared if that day comes when you need to jump into immediate action. Here are 3 things I have learned as an educator and parent that might help you in your search for more information (note: this information is intended to be used for research purposes only, not as a substitute for actual CPR training):
- AEDs - Automated External Defibrillators - are meant for the general public to use before EMT's arrive. These machines are becoming more readily available at schools, malls, and other highly populated places. We just had a brief training on how to use one on our junior high campus. It looks scary, but all you have to do is place the sensors on a person's bare chest and it talks you through the steps of CPR. The great thing about AED's is that they give the most help possible to the Emergency medical professionals once they take over at the scene.
- Compression-only, or "hands-only" CPR is shown to be just as effective when used by bystanders immediately than combination breath-compression CPR. I also think people are more willing to start it if they only have two steps to remember (call 9-1-1 and compress without stopping). The compressions are supposed to be hard and fast - 100 per minute is the recommended number. See more information on the research behind this from the AHA journal, Circulation.
- Most states (including Arizona) have a Good Samaritan Law that protects from civil liability bystanders or medical caregivers who use CPR or an AED on someone in need. Do your own research, but in Arizona it is A.R.S. 36-2263. This protects you, no matter what the resulting outcome of your CPR. You can see the language of Arizona's law protecting 'good samaritans' and medical caregivers here.
Check out a CPR class near you today - many outdoor/wilderness instruction groups, local fire departments and hospitals offer training classes for teenagers and adults.
Some resources I like are:
- SHARE program- Save Hearts in Arizona Registration and Education- Part of the Arizona Department of Health Services, provides information on AED's and CPR as well as a few training classes by ADHS.
- Sweet Otter- See a list of courses led by Kristina Hall, an American Red Cross authorized CPR instructor based in Santa Cruz County, California. She is an experienced teacher who teaches wilderness first aid and outdoor skills in addition to basic CPR/AED training.
- Take Heart America outreach program- Offers bystander training in 5 communities; great resource for reading Survivor stories and seeing the results of the CPR initiative.
- American Heart Association website- CPR resources such as training classes, e-mail updates, and other links
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