Welcome to our Blog. Here we'll keep you updated to the latest information related to Lifesaver Education and the lifesaving skills that we teach.
Our tendency is to look at children as being smaller versions of adults physically. However, nothing is farther from the truth. There are numerous differences between adults and children physically, and knowledge of these differences is important to anyone in healthcare who cares for children.
Some of these differences are:
Body surface area to body mass ratio- children have a greater body surface area (BSA) compared to body mass ratio than do adults. This is important when calculating the percentage of BSA affected by burns. This also means that children are at greater risk for heat loss and dehydration. They may also be more susceptible to toxins absorbed through the skin.
Airway differences- in children, their tongues are larger in comparison to other structures, their airways are smaller and the epiglottis is shaped differently than in adults. Children are more prone to blockage of their airway when their head is not properly positioned. Children are also more prone to respiratory distress when the airways are inflamed or infected, which may result in respiratory arrest.
Less protection of internal organs- children’s internal organs are less well protected than adults for several reasons: ribs are pliable, thus organs of the chest and upper abdomen are not as well protected; less subcutaneous fat means that internal organs are not well protected; and abdominal and chest organs are closer to the surface.
Proportionately large heads- children’s heads are proportionately larger than adults’ heads in comparison to the rest of their bodies, thus they are more prone to head injuries as a result of falls and other trauma. Their larger heads also mean that heat loss occurs more rapidly.
It is important that healthcare workers are aware of the anatomical differences between children and adults, as treatments must be modified to take these differences into account. PALS (Pediatric Advanced Life Support) teaches healthcare workers about these differences and how they affect the care of ill and injured children. To find a Pasadena PALS class near you, visit Lifesaver Ed.
Source: Differences between children and adults
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A study published in July 2010 in the New England Journal of Medicine provides evidence that compression-only CPR may be as effective as traditional CPR. The study, which included 1276 patients, was designed to determine whether compression-only CPR is superior to traditional CPR in terms of survival.
The study spanned almost 4 years. Throughout the study 620 patients were randomized to receive compression-only CPR, while 656 patients received standard CPR. The patients sustained out-of- hospital cardiac arrest which was witnessed. The instructions for either type of CPR were provided by emergency medical dispatchers via telephone.
Results of the study showed that there was no significant difference in survival at 30 days between the two groups, demonstrating that compression-only CPR is a safe and effective means of providing CPR. A previous study assessed the difference between compression-only CPR and standard CPR and found that compression-only CPR was as efficacious, if not more so, than standard CPR; however, the previous study did not assess survival rates.
The AHA adopted compression-only standards in 2008. Compression-only CPR consists of giving compressions only, without providing ventilations. The impetus behind the movement to switch to compression-only CPR is that bystandarders are often unwilling to get involved and help a victim of sudden cardiac arrest, fearing that they may harm the victim. Compression-only CPR simplifies this lifesaving process, requiring the rescuer to 1) call for assistance, and 2) provide chest compressions until an AED is brought to the scene or help arrives.
There are a few special cases in which standard CPR (with ventilations) should be performed:
• Infants and children
• Adult victims who are unconscious, are not breathing, and have a pulse
• Victims of drug overdose, victims of drowning or victims who have collapsed due to breathing problems.
In these cases, respirations are ineffective due to the underlying condition, and ventilations should be provided in conjunction with compressions. In infants and children, the primary cause of arrest is often a respiratory issue, necessitating effective ventilations. To learn more about compression-only CPR, or to locate Los Angeles CPR classes near you, visit Lifesaver Ed.
ifesavered.com. Source: Svensson et al (2010). Compression-Only CPR or Standard CPR in Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest. N Engl J Med 2010; 363:434-442
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Choking is caused by blockage of the upper airway by food or other objects. It can happen at any time to persons of all ages. Choking is a true emergency and can result in death if the obstruction is not relieved within minutes. This is because blockage of the airway prevents oxygen from reaching the brain, which will begin to die within 4 to 6 minutes without intervention.
It is known that almost 200 children in the U.S. die every year from choking, and that choking is responsible for almost 18,000 admissions to emergency departments for children under the age of 14. Small children often put small objects in their mouth, such as nuts, coins, marbles and other hazards. Hard candies and hot dogs are other common choking hazards. Small children will often attempt to eat too quickly or will put too much food in their mouth at one time, increasing their risk of choking.
Adults often choke when they talk or laugh while eating. Factors such as poorly fitting dentures, alcohol consumption and drugs which lower awareness can increase the risk of choking in adults. Some diseases affect swallowing, such as stroke, MS (multiple sclerosis) and Parkinson’s disease, raising the risk of choking. Symptoms of choking are often easy to identify and may include the following:
• Coughing or gagging • Inability to talk • High-pitched wheezes • Color change to the face (person will turn blue)
• Weak cry or cough in infants
• Panic and hand signals
The “universal sign” of choking is clutching of the throat- choking victims will often bring their hands to their throat.
Choking can be resolved with application of an abdominal thrust (formerly called the Heimlich maneuver). Victims who are able to speak and whose color is not dusky should be watched closely and encouraged to cough forcefully. They should not be left alone. Victims who cannot speak and whose face is turning blue are likely fully obstructed and will require the Heimlich maneuver and possibly other emergency measures.
Choking constitutes a real medical emergency. Everyone should be taught the basics of relieving an airway obstruction. Choking is included in BLS classes as it is recognized that choking is encountered frequently and timely intervention can save lives. Anyone with children should learn how to relieve an airway obstruction. To find a Los Angeles BLS class or CPR class near you, visit Lifesaver Ed.
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Drowning is recognized as a significant cause of disability and death. It is estimated that approximately 8,000 deaths by drowning occur each year, with 1,500 of these drowning occurring in children. It is further estimated that 15% of children admitted to the hospital for drowning die as a result of submersion.
Drowning may occur from several causes. Here is a look at common causes of drowning in different age groups, and how drowning accidents can be avoided: <1 year- in this age group, bathtub drownings are the most common cause of death. Children left unattended in the tub can roll off of or slide out of safety devices meant to hold them safely out of the water. Children this age should always have adult supervision and should never be left unattended.
Pre-school aged children-in this age group, residential swimming pools are common areas of drowning, as are ponds, canals and ditches. To prevent drowning, access should be blocked. Residential swimming pools should be gated and locked to prevent access.
Older children and teens- drowning in this age group may occur as a result of poor judgment, overconfidence in swimming ability and the use of alcohol and drugs. It has been estimated that many of these deaths occur within 10 yards of shore. Lakes, rivers, ponds and oceans are common drowning venues. Drowning may also occur secondary to head or spinal cord injuries suffered during shallow dives.
Underlying illness may also cause drowning. Seizure disorders, myocardial infarction (heart attack), neurological disorders such as Parkinson’s disease and multiple sclerosis and stroke may all predispose to drowning. Water sport (i.e. water skiing, jet skiing, tubing) accidents may also contribute to drowning. The use of life jackets can prevent death due to drowning.
Not everyone who drowns dies. Thanks to more and more people taking certified BLS classes, many deaths from drowning are subverted. Anyone living near open water or owning a pool, as well as health professionals, should be trained in the techniques of CPR, including the use of AEDs. To find a certified Los Angeles CPR class near you, visit Lifesaver Ed.
Source: Drowning
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Many people, especially older women, take calcium supplements for bone health and to stave off or treat osteoporosis, a practice that may prove dangerous to cardiac health according to a recent study.
A study published in the online British Medical Journal examined the effects of calcium supplementation on 12,000 participants. Researchers analyzed 11 different randomized and controlled studies on calcium (without the addition of vitamin D). The researchers took into account differences in the study design and controls, as well as other factors, to minimize bias.
Results showed that there was a 30% increased risk of heart attack in supplement users, and a smaller risk of suffering a stroke. Because so many people supplement with calcium, this could mean that many people are unknowingly at higher risk of heart attack or stroke. Other studies that looked at diet supplementation with calcium did not find a heightened risk for heart attack or stroke, leading researchers to conclude that the risks are only related to supplements.
There has also been recent debate about the effectiveness of calcium supplementation on reducing the risk of fractures in those who suffer from osteoporosis. Given this, researchers urge that further studies be done to verify whether or not calcium supplementation plays a role in increasing the risk of heart attack and stroke, and that women with osteoporosis not be treated with calcium (with or without vitamin D) unless they are receiving an effective drug to treat osteoporosis. The bottom line, researchers say, is that more study is needed to determine if calcium is needed at all when there are other drugs designed to treat osteoporosis.
Knowing the risk factors for heart disease can help prevent heart attack and stroke. Although more research is needed on the potential role of calcium as an agent that increases the risk for both, controlling other risks such as obesity, high cholesterol and smoking is likely to be of more benefit in reducing overall risk. Basic Life Support, also known as BLS classes provide instruction on how to recognize and respond to a cardiac emergency. To find a Los Angeles CPR class near you, visit LifeSaver ED.
Source: Calcium supplements linked to increased risk of heart attack, study finds
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Tim Richards, a 61-year-old man with a history of diabetes and hypertension, complains to his wife Claire at the breakfast table one morning that he awoke early due to indigestion. He tells her that he still feels unwell, and is unable to eat his breakfast due to nausea. Claire notices that he is sweating and is continuously rubbing his chest and upper abdomen. As he is checking his blood glucose level in preparation for his daily insulin dose, he gasps, clutches his chest, and falls to the floor.
Although Claire feels panicked, she knows what to do. She has recently taken a basic life support course offered at her local hospital. She quickly determines that Tim is not breathing and doesn’t have a detectable pulse. She calls 9-1-1 and tells the operator that her husband has suffered a cardiac arrest and asks that an ambulance be dispatched immediately. She begins the sequence of providing ventilation and compressions to her husband, just as she performed them on a mannequin in the class she took just a few short weeks ago. She is very frightened, but finds that she remembers all the steps she was taught and practiced so diligently.
Within 10 minutes, paramedics enter the house and take over Tim’s care from a relieved Claire. The paramedics continue CPR, start an intravenous line, provide electrical energy to Tim’s heart and administer emergency drugs. “We’ve got a pulse”, one of the paramedics says triumphantly. Tim is loaded in the ambulance and transported to the nearest hospital. Claire rides along in the ambulance.
Doctors at the hospital determine that Tim suffered a massive myocardial infarction, or heart attack. They give him medication to dissolve the clot that caused the heart attack and admit him to the Intensive Care Unit. Doctors tell Claire that Tim would not be here were it not for Claire and the excellent CPR she provided to Tim prior to the paramedic’s arrival. The CPR course that Claire took saved her husband’s life. She tells her friends and family that it was “money well spent” and urges them all to do the same because, she tells everyone, “you never know when you might need it”.
The above scenario is repeated in homes and public places, on family members and strangers and by lay persons and health professionals every day. Basic Life Support classes teach the skills necessary to save a life. Whether it is stranger’s life you save, or that of a loved one, there is no greater satisfaction than knowing that you were instrumental in saving a life. To find out more about how you can take a Los Angeles CPR class or BLS course, please visit Lifesaver Ed.
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Have you ever wondered how the lifelike mannequins that are used to teach CPR came into being? The story is an interesting one that serves to illustrate how tragedy can turn to triumph.
In the early 19th century in Paris, a young girl’s body was recovered from the River Seine. The girl’s body provided no clues as to how she came to be in the river. Her identity was a mystery. As was a custom of the time, a death mask was created, so that if anyone came forward at a later time identification could be made. The girl was young and beautiful, and fueled many romantic stories about the circumstances that had led to her being in the river. One such story that flourished was that the girl had taken her own life after a failed romance. Reproductions of the death mask became a popular item in Europe.
Many years later Asmund Laerdal, a business owner, decided to create a lifelike mannequin that could be used in teaching mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. He felt that the mannequin should be as realistic as possible to increase motivation among students. Having heard and been moved by the tragic story of the girl found in the river (and never identified), Laerdal used the girl’s face on his new mannequin, which he called Resusci Anne. In essence, he provided the dead girl, mourned by many but known by none, a name. In turn, she became the first model for training people in lifesaving techniques such as mouth-to-mouth resuscitation and CPR.
Today, thanks to “Anne”, millions of people have learned the skills necessary to save a life by practicing on a realistic mannequin. The next time you update your CPR or ACLS course, you may remember the story of Anne and how she touched so many lives. You, too, can alter the course of another’s life. To find Los Angeles BLS classes near you, please visit Lifesaver Ed.
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Think you know all of the risk factors for heart disease? Knowledge is power! Read on to determine your personal risk factors:
Modifiable Risk Factors
Modifiable risk factors for heart disease are those factors that you have some amount of control over. These include:
• Smoking - smoking is perhaps the biggest preventable risk factor for heart disease and stroke. If you smoke, you have a 2 to 3-fold risk of suffering a heart attack or a stroke. It’s never too late- even if you have been smoking for years, quitting smoking will still reduce your risk.
• Cholesterol - controlling your LDL (bad) cholesterol, boosting your HDL (good) cholesterol and lowering your triglycerides can also lower your risk for heart disease and stroke. If your total cholesterol exceeds 240mg/dl, there is a sharp rise in your risk of suffering a stroke or a heart attack. If you have a family history of high cholesterol, you should have your cholesterol checked regularly, especially if you have other risk factors for cardiovascular disease.
• Blood Pressure - high blood pressure is a risk factor for stroke, and can increase your risk of developing heart disease. Controlling your weight, exercising, and medications should the first two interventions be insufficient can help you decrease your risk of blood vessel disease.
• Diabetes - if you are diabetic, maintaining tight control of your blood sugar levels can decrease your risk of heart disease and stroke. Diabetics are at higher risk because diabetes predisposes to the development of other risk factors, such as high blood pressure and high cholesterol.
• Weight - if you are overweight, losing weight can help you avoid heart disease. Carrying excess weight around your middle is a risk factor, and excess weight can lead to high blood pressure, diabetes and high cholesterol. If you are unable to lose weight on your own, ask your physician for advice.
• Exercise - your heart is a muscle and requires a good workout to stay healthy. Adopt a more physical lifestyle. Incorporate some form of moderate exercise into your daily routine.
Nonmodifiable Risk Factors
Nonmodifiable risk factors are those risk factors you can’t do anything about:
• Age - the older you become, the higher your risk.
• Sex - men are at higher risk for cardiovascular disease, although this metric is changing as more women smoke than in years past.
• Family History - you are at higher risk for cardiovascular disease if you have a family history of heart disease.
• Menopause - hormonal changes following menopause increase women’s risk of heart disease.
• Race - African Americans, people of native descent, native Hawaiians, Asians and Hispanics sometimes have a higher risk of heart disease and stroke.
As can be seen, there are multiple risk factors for heart disease and stroke. Some can be changed, or modified, while others are not within our ability to control. Changing even one of your modifiable risk factors can lower your risk of suffering a heart attack or stroke.
Basic life support (BLS) courses can teach you how to save a life, as well as provide education on recognition of heart attack and stroke symptoms. In addition, you will be taught how to manage a cardiac arrest should you be present when the unthinkable happens.
To locate a Los Angeles CPR class near you, visit Lifesaver Ed.
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Non-cardiac chest pain accounts for millions of visits to emergency rooms every day, and yet few people diagnosed with non-cardiac chest pain receive follow up to get to the bottom of their symptoms.
Common causes of non-cardiac chest pain include panic attacks, musculoskeletal pain, microvascular disease and gastroesophageal reflux (GERD). GERD accounts for up to 60% of cases of non-cardiac chest pain. GERD is the abnormal reflux of stomach acid from the stomach to the esophagus. Symptoms include heartburn (which can mimic the chest pain of a heart attack when severe), nausea and painful or difficult swallowing.
A study that was published in the Mayo Clinic Proceedings found that patients admitted to the ER with non-cardiac chest pain and later discovered to have GERD received little follow up testing. Only 15% of the patients studied went on to have a consult with a gastroenterologist. Survival rates for those patients in the study who were diagnosed with GERD were lower at 10 years and 20 years than in those patients who were given other explanations for their non-cardiac chest pain.
Study experts believe that people who suffer from GERD may also have risk factors for heart disease, and that these patients should be screened more closely for cardiac risk factors when they present to the ER. This is due to the fact that GERD and heart disease may share similar risk factors, such as obesity, smoking, diabetes and obstructive sleep apnea. In other words, they may be suffering from non-cardiac chest pain when they initially present to the ER, but their risk factors may put them at a higher risk to someday experience chest pain of cardiac origin. Therefore, these patients should be managed more aggressively than they usually are. To find out what to do in the event of chest pain, or for other Los Angeles CPR classes, visit Lifesaver Ed.
Source: Noncardiac Chest Pain May Warrant More Management: Study
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According to a Danish study of over 12,000 female nurses, working under excess pressure can contribute to the risk of developing ischemic heart disease (IHD). Previous studies have demonstrated this effect in men, but few studies have addressed this phenomenon in women.
Younger women (< 51 years of age) who reported experiencing excess work pressure were 1.6 times more likely to develop IHD than their colleagues who reported lower levels of work stress. The women in the study were followed for 15 years; during that time period, 580 women were hospitalized for IHD. When other risk factors were taken into consideration, excessive work pressure was found to be significant. The age-adjusted incidence of ischemic heart disease was nearly 50% higher in women who reported that they experienced excessive pressure at work.
The study highlights the fact that stress, particularly work pressure, should be taken into account when planning primary prevention measures for women. In addition to providing counseling regarding diet and weight control, control of blood pressure, and control of hypercholesteremia (high cholesterol), primary care physicians should take work stress into account, particularly in women who have many risk factors for heart disease.
Researchers aren’t sure exactly how stress contributes to heart disease. It has been postulated that stress in itself is harmful, as it results in the release of stress hormones such as cortisol and adrenalin. Stress may also increase the likelihood of using unhealthy coping mechanisms that may be harmful to heart health, such as smoking, drinking, overeating and not getting enough exercise. Stress may also contribute to elevated blood pressure.
One way to decrease work stress is to increase your knowledge base in areas in which you feel inadequately prepared. This may be especially true for health care professionals, such as nurses, who face considerable stress in their daily work life. Increased knowledge leads to an increased sense of control over your work environment, resulting in less stress in the workplace.
Are you a health professional interested in taking a course that will teach you to perform confidently in your chosen area? To learn more about Los Angeles CPR classes and other courses near you, visit Lifesaver Ed.
Source: High job pressure boosts women’s heart disease risk
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