How Essential is CPR Training?

Witnessing a person who suddenly experiences cardiac arrest is very unfortunate. Some people do not know how to respond to this situation because they lack the skill to provide cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). This definitely calls for the need to learn how to perform CPR properly. Of course, CPR can save a person’s life and she/he would be forever grateful if you have successfully done that part. Since saving one’s life is a great responsibility, you need to have the best CPR training school.

Based on research, the techniques in first aid and CPR may vary depending on the age of the person. CPR is most commonly done to an infant, a child, or an adult. Hence, it is wise to invest your time in a CPR training school that can expose you to such different age groups. Aside from this, you will also need to have proper training on how to use an Automatic External Defibrillator (AED). In case the pulse of the patient slowly going flat, the last option is to use an AED to revive the pulse.

In between life and death situation, a person’s heart may stop for a second. Although clinically dead, you still have approximately ten minutes to revive the person through CPR. Based on a study, each minute that the body goes without heartbeat the chance to recover is decreased by around ten percent. So, it is indeed crucial to learn how to properly perform CPR. This can increase the chances of recovery for the person whose heart stopped from beating. Keep in mind that oxygen is the most vital element in the human body, so you must know how to properly give Oxygen to another body. That can be done through CPR and of course, by enrolling in an excellent CPR training school.

Good thing Citywide CPR offers quality training that can also prepare you for the certification exam required by the state. The company is located in Chicago and has a lot branch office state-wide. For more than two decades, Citywide maintains to be accredited by the American Heart Association which means that the company has been consistent in building healthier lives and free from any heart disease. Apart from CPR training, the company also has a wide variety of healthcare training services, such as BLS, ACLS, PALS, First Aid, AED, and OSHA Training.

With Citywide, you can also choose between onsite training and online CPR courses. The coursework starts from basic life support to advanced life support CPR training. For people who want to take Online CPR courses, Citywide offers a combination of web-based learning and hands on practice classes. These classes are handled by one of the experienced American Heart Association instructors. Most people prefer to have an online learning experience because it is convenient and flexible. With Citywide CPR training, you can enjoy such benefits coupled with a nationally recognized approach that can help you in your CPR certification.

If you are interested in CPR training, please take a look to check out website.

More CPR Training Increases Cardiac Arrest Survival

Any minute wasted without any emergency medical procedure being done on a person who has suffered from sudden cardiac arrest could be critical on the victim’s chance of surviving. According to the data of Occupational Safety and Health Administration or OHSA, the chance of survival by an individual reduces by at least 7 to 10 percent for every minute lost without any performance of cardiopulmonary resuscitation or CPR, or the use of an automated external defibrillator or AED. Due to this fact, it is important that a lot of people know how to properly perform CPR to be able to increase the survival rates.

A widespread CPR training must be enforced in the goal of having more people get in the know of the ways to properly do it. Based on a study made in a European country, training more people about the correct procedures in doing CPR significantly helped improve the heart attack survival rates. This assumption is based on the analysis of the more than 29,000 cardiac arrests recorded in that country in a span of 10 years. After careful analysis of the data, it showed that the cardiac arrest cases which involved a bystander CPR more than doubled. In 2001, the figure was around 20 percent but then it grew to more than 44 percent in 2010.

Part of the study also showed that patients who were able to receive CPR had four more chances to be alive 30 days later than those who were left unattended in the streets. Included also in the study are those individuals who got treated with AED.

In this European country, CPR training has been promoted over the past decade where the government even required elementary school students to undergo it. People applying for a driver’s license were also required to be trained for this medical procedure. The automated external defibrillators were also given importance of the government since this device has been linked to increased 30-day survival. This portable device were placed in more places whether public or private settings. If other countries follow suit with what this country did, there is a great chance that its success there would also be achieved. More training initiatives would equal to more people surviving from any heart attack or cardiac arrest.

For any CPR training concerns, a reliable name in the business is Citywide CPR Inc. The company is based in Chicagoland/Metropolitan Area and has been providing training services for more than 20 years already. Located in numerous locations across the United States, the company has operated and succeeded under the mission of building healthier lives that are free of cardiovascular diseases as well as stroke. Aside from providing CPR classes, the company also offers trainings for basic life support (BLS), advanced cardiac life support (ACLS), pediatric advanced life support (PALS), first aid, and AED.

Citywide CPR is an accredited national training site of the American Heart Association, Emergency Care and Safety Institute, and American Safety and Health Institute.

If you are interested in CPR training, please take a look to check out website.

Initial Lessons on Proper Use of an AED Device

Having your own automated external defibrillator (AED) device does not guarantee that the person you are with is safe from sudden attack of a certain heart disease. In fact, this medical device could even be useless if you don’t know a thing or two on how to use it properly and effectively. That is why it is important to learn at least the basics on using an AED device while you still have the time.

To start with, you have to understand the main functions of a typical AED device. With its computer-based technology, an AED device can be used to analyze the heart rhythm of a person experiencing sudden cardiac arrest, heart attack, or any other similar heart disease. Once the device has determined the actual condition of the sufferer’s heart, it will automatically calculate the corresponding therapeutic dosage of electric shock to be supplied and delivered to the malfunctioning heart. This electric shock usually comes in a biphasic waveform, which is characterized by an alternating direction of the pulses that complete a cycle period of about 10ms. You will then press the button that tells the machine to deliver the electric shock towards the person’s heart. In fully automatic models of AED device, there is no need for you to press a button after the appropriate magnitude and duration of electric shock has been determined.

Another important thing to learn about AED devices is the proper handling and placement of the AED electrode pads to the patient’s chest. One of the pads is exactly placed to the upper right portion of the sternum and below the clavicle, while the other one is over the ribs on the left of the nipple. Make sure that these pads are attached properly.  It is best to wear electrically insulated gloves before you operate the device as well. This is to prevent risk of electric shock while the device is turned on. Also, you have to make sure that no one is touching the patient and that the place of application is away from any wet substance or area.

There are many other essential things that you should learn about proper usage of an AED device. You can learn these by attending a training course from an AED training center accredited by the American Heart Association (AHA). The Citywide training center, for instance, is one that you can rely on if you wish to know more about AED devices, especially on how to maximize its effectiveness in saving someone’s life. This training center offers several options of comprehensive trainings such as the AED Medical Oversight Direction and the AED Program Management. In an AED Medical Oversight Direction course, you will learn how to monitor the expiration of the AED pads and batteries, and many more. Meanwhile, the AED Program Management is where you can learn some legal practices and other important standards on using an AED device. In addition, you can also go for one of the CPR training courses at Citywide so that you can further improve your knowledge on saving the life of a heart disease sufferer.

For more information about AED Medical Oversight and AED Program Management, please visit our website.

Important Things to Note for When Choosing a CPR Training Center

It is undeniable that more and more people nowadays aim to learn at least the basics of CPR and other important first aid procedures. This could be the result of the efforts of medical associations that aim to promote the global awareness on the threatening risks of various forms of heart disease if ignored and left untreated. If you are one of the people who want to learn CPR, you have to take note that not all training centers provide the same type and level of training courses to aspiring CPR practitioners. The pacing of the training sessions, the learning tools used, and the actual medical equipment utilized also vary from one training center to another. Thus, it is very important to be careful in choosing one that could train you effectively in the way that you are most comfortable with.

A thorough research is one of the most convenient means of finding the training center that meets your specific needs and preferences. Of course, you have to be certain first on the type of training center you are looking for: whether you prefer to settle for one with comprehensive programs or for one that can give you short courses; whether you want a training course that is more on lectures or more on actual application; and whether you wish to have it online or onsite. Upon finalizing these considerations, you can now start searching over the web for one that offers your set of specifications.

Aside from your personal choices, you should also give more importance on checking whether a certain training center for CPR operates in accordance to the guidelines of the American Heart Association (AHA). It is also very important to consider only CPR training courses that are handled or hosted by a seasoned, reputable, and AHA-accredited professional. At the same time, you have to be particular with the legality of the operations as well as the reputation and records of service of a certain training center. This can be done by checking the company’s official website, visiting the site of the organization that confirms that accreditation of the training center, and seeking for reliable client reviews. As much as possible, put your trust only to training centers that provide sufficient information, including pictures of their facilities and members, on their official website.

With all of the mentioned considerations, one good example of an ideal training center for CPR courses is Citywide. This is where you can learn the most innovative and only the proven safe and effective CPR methods. Citywide also provides several options for aspiring CPR professionals. Among these options are CPR training, AED training, BLS training, and First Aid Training. You may also prefer to combine these courses along with Bloodborne Pathogen training and OSHA. Even medical professionals can find advanced training programs from this center such as the ACLS training and PALS. To top it all, City wide has numerous convenient locations established in different parts of the US.

If you are interested in CPR training, please take a look to check out website.

Automated External Defibrillator (AED): Basic Description and Function

Heart disease has been considered as the number one category of fatal diseases, according to statistical surveys and medical records. That is why people have developed several first aid techniques or home remedies that can be applied by anyone who has a heart disease or living with a person with this medical condition. One of these is the cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), which is usually applied to victims of sudden cardiac arrest, heart attack, and other similar forms of heart disease. Another option is the defibrillation method, which is now more effective with the use of an automated external defibrillator (AED) device.

The main purpose of an AED device is to analyze the heart rhythm and determine the most suitable therapeutic dosage of electric shock to be delivered to the heart that has just ceased its function. The use of this medical device typically requires proper briefing and training in order to ensure appropriate procedures for optimizing the chance of the heart disease sufferer to survive. In normal cases, it takes about 10 to 20 seconds for an AED device to diagnose the heart rhythm, whether it undergoes ventricular fibrillation (VF) or ventricular tachycardia (VT).

AED devices can be classified as either semi-automated or fully automated. Semi-automated AEDs basically waits for the user’s input (push of a button) before delivering the analyzed appropriate electric shock to the patient’s heart. There is no much difference between the functionality of the semi-automated and automated AED, except for the fact that automatic AEDs automatically apply the determined shock without the user’s input. In addition, modern versions of both AED types come with a number of extra features such as built-in ECG display and integrated manual override.

Knowing that heart diseases like cardiac arrest can grab anyone’s life at any instance, some areas in the US make use of emergency services vehicles that carry AEDs. Many public establishments today also secure an accessible and ready to use AED device in case of emergency. Most of the AED devices come in brightly colored housing in order to make the unit highly visible. These are also mostly mounted in protective cases located near the entrance of a building. Of course, these cases feature alert mechanisms so that the medical staff or any authority in the establishment will be aware that there is an emergency use of their AED device. In this way, they can immediate call for emergency services as well.

Today, the increasing number of people aiming to know more about AED devices has led to development of training programs and courses regarding the use of this emergency medical device. Citywide is one of the notable training centers that specialize in safety and emergency health training courses. When it comes to AED technology, Citywide currently offers training programs like the AED Medical Oversight direction and the AED Program Management course. Each of the training sessions and lectures are handled by some of the most respected and accredited AED professionals by the American Heart Association (AHA).

For more information about AED Medical Oversight and AED Program Management, please visit our website.

A Glimpse on the Development of AED Devices

Many people today enroll themselves to safety and emergency health training centers to equip themselves with the basic knowledge on defibrillation. More particularly, these people aim to learn important things about the proper and efficient use of Automated Exterior Defibrillator (AED). They believe that being adept with this medical device will help themselves or the persons they are with increase survival chances against death due to sudden cardiac arrest. Some of them opt to undergo an AED Program Management course, while there are also some that prefer to go for AED Medical Oversight direction. Either way, it is important to have some background on how defibrillation technology has evolved ever since its inception.

It was in 1899 when Jean-Louis Prevost and Frederic Batelli introduced the first defibrillator, a medical device essentially used to deliver a therapeutic quantity of electrical energy to a malfunctioning heart. However, there were several limitations and imperfections with the first model of defibrillator. That is why another model of the device was developed in 1947 by Professor Claude Beck. His improved version of defibrillator was actually the first one used to revive a human heart under ventricular fibrillation.

Before the late 1980s, The Lown Waveform was the standard electrical waveform used for defibrillation. This waveform is basically described as a heavily damped sinusoidal wave having a finite period of about 5 milliseconds. Developed by Bernard Lown in 1959, it is generated by charging a bank of 1000-volt capacitors having an energy content of 100 to 200 joules. Its charge is then delivered to the affected heart through paddle electrodes. The Lown Waveform was later on replaced by the Biphasic Waveform, which has alternating pulses of about 10 milliseconds duration. This more efficient type of defibrillation waveform was originally intended for implantable cardioverter defibrillators. According to the records, 60 percent of cardiac arrest patients recover the normal sinus rhythm of their heart from ventricular fibrillation with the help of such defibrillator model.

Prior to the development of the AED, manual models such as the manual external defibrillator and the manual internal defibrillator were widely used. Among the main drawbacks of the manual types is the need of expert analysis of the healthcare provider before deciding for the quantity of the electrical charge to be used. This limitation was then solved through the inception of AED. With its computer-based technology, it only takes 10 to 20 seconds for the AED unit to diagnose the heart’s rhythm and automatically determine the most appropriate level of defibrillation to apply. Today, more and more models of AED have been engineered to come up with innovative solution on minimizing the risks on the life of a person suffering from sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) or any other deadly heart disorder.

If you want to learn more about AED devices, you can take one of the training courses offered by Citywide – a renowned training center composed of a team of AHA-accredited specialists. Apart from AED Medical Oversight direction and AED Program Management course, many other training courses are offered by Citywide, both online and onsite.

For more information about AED Medical Oversight and AED Program Management, please visit our website.

Important Facts and Figures about Sudden Cardiac Arrest

In many parts of the US, sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) has become one of the most common heart diseases experienced by men and women at their golden age. This heart disease has also been thought to be among the deadliest medical problems both for young and elder adults. As a matter of fact, recent statistics showed that SCA is accountable for about 325,000 deaths every year. It simply means that one SCA sufferer in the US dies in every two minutes.

Sudden cardiac arrest is basically characterized by the abrupt or unexpected suspension of the heart’s function due to the heart rhythm problem called ventricular fibrillation (VF). When this condition occurs, the heart is no longer capable of pumping blood to and from the different organs of the body. This scenario is likely to happen to people having a congestive heart failure and those who once had a heart attack. It was estimated in death records that about 75 percent of SCA victims also previously suffered from heart attack, while around 80 percent of them were diagnosed to have coronary artery disease. However, people should keep in mind that SCA is not considered as heart attack, although these two are associated to each other and usually lead to sudden death of the sufferer. Heart attack is technically described as myocardial infarction (MI) wherein the heart is terribly affected by the blockage in one of the blood vessels that interrupt blood flow throughout the body.

According to the US statistics, roughly 95 percent of SCA victims lose their life before they acquire medical response from a hospital or any other source of immediate help. The recent report of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) also revealed that there was a 10 percent increase between the SCA mortality rates in 1989 and 1996. This increase rate has remained for the same time interval since then. Current statistics has also identified Utah, Idaho, and Wisconsin as the US states with the highest rate of SCA casualties. In addition, it was found out in the recent records that between African and white Americans, the African Americans are more vulnerable to death caused by SCA.

With the said threatening facts and figures about sudden cardiac arrest, it is just important for the sufferers as well as for the people living with them to be prepared for it. One way to minimize the chance of losing someone’s life due to SCA is by knowing a thing or two about CPR. Several safety and emergency health training centers have already offered CPR training courses handled or hosted by CPR professionals accredited by the American Heart Association (AHA). Currently, Citywide is among the leading reputable training centers that provide comprehensive programs for CPR training as well as other services like CPR recertification and CPR classes. There are many other important lessons one can learn from Citywide regarding maximizing the survival chance of a person having this deadly heart condition.

If you are interested in CPR training, please take a look to check out website.

Defibrillation as a Means of Saving the Life of a Sudden Cardiac Arrest Victim

It was reported in a statistical survey that sudden cardiac arrest is among the most common heart diseases that usually lead to death, especially in the case of senior adults. This medical condition of the heart is caused by ventricular fibrillation where the heart beats in a chaotic rhythm and the sufferer instantly loses his pulse and blood pressure. This makes the sufferer lose his consciousness. More technically, ventricular fibrillation (VF) is characterized by the loss of coordination of the cardiac muscle contraction of the heart’s ventricles. In a matter of 5 minutes, the person who experiences ventricular fibrillation can lose his life if no medical treatment or any immediate remedy is applied to him.

CPR has been widely known as an advisable first aid procedure to save the life of a sudden cardiac arrest victim. This immediate remedy can help circulate a small amount of oxygenated blood to the brain and other vital organs of the body. With proper execution, this can delay the death of the sufferer’s brain tissues until normal heart beat and breathing has been recovered. However, there are instances where CPR provides only minimal chance for the survival of the sufferer. This is mainly because of its inability to convert ventricular fibrillation into a normal rhythm. Thus, there must be some appropriate means of applying an electric shock that will deliver therapeutic dose of electrical energy to the heart. The process of doing so is called defibrillation.

One of the most common means of implementing defibrillation to a person under sudden cardiac arrest is through the use of an automated external defibrillator (AED). In its most basic essence, an AED device is a computer-based medical apparatus designed to analyze the heart’s rhythm and then help the user determine the advisable electric shock to be applied to the patient. It normally takes 10 to 20 seconds for this device to come up with the most appropriate therapeutic electric energy dosage for a specific case of heart failure. Although trained professionals are advised to implement defibrillation in this way, ordinary people are also encouraged to know a thing or two about how to use AEDs and how it basically works. In fact, people can now secure their own AED device, which is mostly bought with a physician’s prescription. The cost for this first aid device typically ranges from $1200 to $3000.

Since ordinary individuals are now advised to have a background on defibrillation and the use of AED, it would be a good idea to take time to attend a professional training about these matters. Citywide, for instance, is one of the reputable training centers that offer extensive AED trainings with its professional trainers that are certified members of the American Heart Association (AHA). Aside from courses on defibrillation and the use of AED devices, Citywide also offers advanced training services like the AED program management and the AED Medical Oversight Direction. These trainings are definitely an ideal form of investment for maximizing chances of saving someone’s life from sudden cardiac arrest and other heart conditions that need immediate remedy.

For more information about AED Medical Oversight and AED Program Management, please visit our website.

Important Things to Know about the Human Heart

The heart is one of the vital organs in the human body. It holds a number of key processes that sustain life to all body parts. Without the heart, there will be no means to circulate blood throughout the body. These and more explain why it is very important for anyone to take care of his heart.

As part of the body’s circulatory system, the heart primarily works by pumping blood through the blood vessels in repetitive and rhythmic contractions. It pumps involuntarily at a typical rate of 72 beats per minute. This vital organ is basically a tube or small sac that pumps fluid containing water and nutrients like sugar, protein, and fat. Its main components include the cardiac muscle and connective tissue. It has a complex structure designed to take charge of the in and out flows of blood through cardiovascular vessels. The average human heart weighs at a range of 300-350 grams for men and up to 250-300 grams for women. In most cases, the heart of a person – men and women alike – has the same size with his own fist.

The heart is located at the front of the vertebral column and next to the sternum. It is covered by the pericardium, which is a double-walled sac. Among the main purposes of this covering is to protect the heart and its surrounding structures, and to prevent the overflow of blood to the heart as well. There are three layers in the outer wall of the human heart. From the outer to the inner layer, these layers are the epicardium, myocardium, and endocardium. Moreover, the heart has four chambers, which are composed of two inferior ventricles and two superior atria. Each of these chambers has its own specific function that contributes to the overall operation of the heart.

One of the most common heart problems today is cardiac arrest, which is also among the deadliest medical conditions for adults. Cardiac arrest is basically characterized by malfunctioning of the heart and that it can no longer pump blood to different parts of the body. It is not technically the same with heart attack, which is scientifically termed as myocardial infarction. However, a person who gets caught by any of these deadly heart conditions can be saved by cardiopulmonary resuscitation or CPR. This immediate remedy can be applied by an untrained CPR professional if and only if there is no way to bring the patient to a hospital or if there is no other person that is knowledgeable enough to apply CPR. The least requirement of an appropriate CPR procedure is the chest compression, each at 5cm deep and rated at 100 compressions per minute. You can find out more about this important medical procedure by attending a CPR training course in a reputable emergency health training center like Citywide. The professionals conducting both basic and advanced CPT training lessons in Citywide are all accredited by the American Heart Association (AHA).

If you are interested in CPR training, please take a look to check out website.

Sudden Cardiac Arrest: What You Can Do to Help a Sufferer of It

In a recent statistical survey, it was revealed that sudden cardiac arrest or SCA is much attributed to as much as 325,000 deaths in the US per year. This simply means that SCA can cause the death of almost 1,000 people a day or 1 person in every two minutes. The said survey also stated that people suffering from a heart disorder such as congestive heart failure and those that have a history of heart attack are vulnerable to life-threatening form of cardiac arrest. It was then found out that more or less 95 percent of SCA victims lose their lives before they reach a medical facility or acquire any source of immediate remedy. With that said, it is very important for any person to have at least some knowledge on what to do whenever someone with them suddenly experiences cardiac arrest.

You are probably familiar with the first aid procedure called CPR, which is usually done on people caught by cardiac arrest and other forms of sudden heart failure. Basically, cardiopulmonary resuscitation or CPR is applied to manually pump oxygenated blood to the brain, lungs, and other vital parts of the body when the heart stops beating. This must be done to prevent, or at least delay, the death of the brain cells that leads to permanent brain damage and death. In most cases, a CPR procedure for a non-CPR-expert individual should merely involve chest compression, which is typically rated at above 100 5-cm deep compressions per minute. It is also very important to apply it immediately to a sudden cardiac arrest victim, even though you are not sure if you can do it perfectly. As long as you do it reasonably and there is no other way to obtain immediate assistance, you have to bear in mind that it is much better to apply an imperfect CPR than to do nothing at all.

Although sudden cardiac arrest and heart attack have similar form of threat to a person’s life, these two heart disorders are technically different from each other. SCA is a heart malfunction caused by ventricular fibrillation wherein the heart is no longer capable of pumping blood throughout the body. On the other hand, heart attack is scientifically called as myocardial infraction. This heart condition is typically takes place when there is a blockage in a blood vessel that interrupts the blood flow to and from the heart. As a result, an infarct or area of dead heart muscle will occur. In any of these forms of sudden heart disorder, CPR has been considered as the most effective means of increasing the chance of the victim to survive the situation. The type of CPR that will provide the utmost remedy to the problem varies, however.

Currently, the American Heart Association (AHA) conducts CPR training to more than 12 million in a number of training centers for safety and emergency medicine. Among these centers is Citywide, an Illinois-based company composed of AHA-accredited professionals for CPR training and other life-saving courses.

If you are interested in CPR training, please take a look to check our website.