Save Your Boss: Take a CPR Class

Save Your Boss: Take a CPR class; you never know when you’ll need the skills

Pull Quote: The American Heart Association changed its definition of CPR earlier this year, so it's important to know that on adults who have apparently suffered a sudden heart attack, experts now say chest compressions -- about 100 a minute -- are enough to keep a victim alive until help arrives.

By Felicia Whatley

Texas Heart CPR class was taught in Plano by Barry Brooks on Monday, August 26th at 6:00 p.m.

It is important to have the skills to be a responder. You never know when you will need it—you could save a co-worker, your friends or loved ones, or help save the life of a complete stranger.

CPR, or cardiopulmonary resuscitation, is an emergency procedure in which a medical professional or Good Samaritan gets the heart and lungs of a victim working again by compressing the chest by hand and forcing air into the lungs, according to By Evelyn McCormack, eHow.com  contributor.

“Every life matters, even if it is saving only 1% of the cases,” said Brooks, who has a bachelor’s in Criminal Justice and just finished his paralegal certification from SMU.

The American Heart Association changed its definition of CPR earlier this year, so it's important to know that on adults who have apparently suffered a sudden heart attack, experts now say chest compressions -- about 100 a minute -- are enough to keep a victim alive until help arrives.

Some basics on saving an adult

When you arrive on the scene, make sure you are in a safe location. If the victim is not breathing and there is no pulse, activate your emergency response plan. Call for help.  Then begin CPR.

Use your hands, one overlaying the other under the breastbone, pressing down 100 compressions a minute at a rate of 30 compressions to one mouth to mask or mouth to mouth breaths per minute. Start compressions within 10 seconds of cardio arrest, until spontaneous circulation returns.  

For every set of 30 compressions – counting out loud, follow up with two big breaths into the patient’s mouth, continuing for 5 sets before checking for pulse and breathing. If there isn’t any then keep administering CPR.

If there are two people assisting the victim, they each have assigned roles. One must be responsible for keeping the air way open, with a head tilt, chin lift and rescue breaths.  The other is responsible for administering the compressions, making sure to press deep, allowing for complete chest recoil. After two minutes, the rescuers should switch roles, because giving the compressions can be very tiring.

A victim has a 40 percent chance of survival if two things happen: CPR is started within 4 minutes of collapse and defibrillation is provided within 10 minutes, stated McCormack.

Some basics when using the AED

The AED is a An automated external defibrillator,  a portable electronic device that automatically diagnoses the potentially life threatening cardiac arrhythmias of ventricular fibrillation and ventricular tachycardia in a patient and is able to treat them through electrical therapy, allowing the heart to reestablish an effective rhythm.

Make sure to turn on the power, plug in the pads, place one pad near the heart above the nipple and the other below the nipple. Follow the verbal commands.  If the device determines that a shock is warranted, it will use the battery to charge its internal capacitor to deliver the shock. If needed, press the button to administer the shock and then stand back.

Afterwards, keep the AED connected check pulse. If the heart rate is under 60 beats per minute, continue CPR until help arrives.

For choking do the Heimlich maneuver

 The Heimlich maneuver is an emergency technique for preventing suffocation when a person's airway (windpipe) becomes blocked by a piece of food or other object, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center.

If is an adult is making gasping noises while eating, he or she may be choking. Quickly, lock arms around your friend, above the navel and give several quick, upward abdominal thrusts—or chest thrusts if the person is pregnant or obese-- until the obstruction comes out.

If you notice an infant is blue around the mouth and the breathing is poor, the baby may be choking. Place the baby on your lap, facing the floor, with your hand supporting the face while keeping the airway open. Administer five back slaps. Flip baby over then do five downward chest thrusts per second. Repeat if needed.

The two-hour course goes into greater detail where you get to practice on dummies until it becomes natural.  There is a test at the end, so pay attention to the details, and then you will be certified with the American Heart Association in preparation to become a hero.

Nurse Diane Blaukat took the course and said, “Heart disease is the No. 1 killler. If people can recognize and treat it, mortality would be less, so CPR is very important.”

Texas Heart CPR Training offers several classes per week at 2000 N. Central Expressway, Suite 220, Plano, TX 75074. Call 214-592-7088 or check out www.texasheartcprtraining.com.