Emergency Cardiac Care News Digest is an assortment of current events and news related to emergency cardiac care and resuscitation. Produced by Code One Training Solutions, Emergency Cardiac Care News Digest is published every Friday throughout the year.
The world needs people who save lives.
Carl Frederick Buechner
La Porte Becomes First Indiana Community to Achieve HEARTSafe Designation by the Citizen CPR Foundation
Years of committed work have culminated in a milestone achievement: La Porte is the first city in Indiana to achieve HEARTSafe Community designation.
Earning this designation makes La Porte an official part of the HEARTSafe Community initiative, a national preparedness program dedicated to improving outcomes of sudden cardiac arrest led by the Citizen CPR Foundation.
La Porte joins other cities and communities — most recently Johnson County, Iowa; Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.; and La Crosse, Wisc. — in achieving HEARTSafe Community status.
The La Porte HEARTSafe Community team decided to pursue this designation “as a strategy to continue to help the City of La Porte community continue to improve the survival rates of cardiac arrest victims,” according to a February 2024 update from the Health Foundation of La Porte. “The HEARTSafe Community program is set on the principle that lives can be saved by being prepared with prevention, early access to care, early CPR, early defibrillation, and early advanced care.”
Read on: https://wimsradio.com/2024/04/09/la-porte-becomes-first-indiana-community-to-achieve-heartsafe-designation/
ENCORE! Citizen CPR Foundation releases a new resource to help communities to improve cardiac arrest outcomes
A new resource from CCPRF provides an overview of a community-based approach to improving cardiac arrest outcomes. The resource leverages evidence-based recommendations and best practices that, when combined, can enable short- and long-term improvements for people who experience sudden cardiac arrest (SCA). In addition to strategies, the resource features thirteen executable recommendations as well as resources from a constellation of organizational and industry partners. The Foundation designed the resource to inspire and guide communities in implementing life saving strategies, thereby helping to save more lives by preventing sudden cardiac arrest from becoming sudden cardiac death.
Improving survival isn’t limited to AEDs and training…it requires a comprehensive approach.
Access here: https://www.citizencprsummit.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Citizen-CPR-Foundation-HSC-Guide-FINAL.pdf
Coon Rapids PD officer and cardiac arrest survivor teach thousands to save lives
COON RAPIDS, Minn. (FOX 9) – Bryan Platz is a police officer working the “heart beat”. His rolling suitcase of rescue CPR equipment and an advanced AED are the tools he carries in his squad car every day to save lives. But on this day, they’re his teaching tools.
“What is CPR?” Platz barks to his audience of lawyers and staff members from the Anoka County Attorney’s Office.
For the next hour and a half, his mission is to break down fears, share knowledge, build skills, and ultimately, create a new tribe of life-saving CPR and AED evangelists.
Emergency AEDs installed in Spellman Park as Stonington seeks to improve response times
STONINGTON — In a cardiac emergency, every second matters. That is why Stonington is moving forward with efforts to improve emergency response times by providing life-saving tools to the community.
The town has installed automated external defibrillator devices at three separate locations in Spellman Park, one of the town’s most widely used recreational spaces. The devices are held in weather-proof containers and are accessible to the public by calling the 9-11 dispatchers in an emergency to receive the code.
ENCORE! The cognitive gap in CPR training is costing lives
“As it stands, traditional CPR training focuses on imparting to trainees the mechanics of chest compressions, defibrillator use and basic airway management. While these skills are undoubtedly essential, they are useless if a potential rescuer does not have the mental toolkit to act on their CPR expertise. A number of psychological phenomena, including some especially persistent in young adults, malign a provider’s ability to conduct CPR. For that reason, certification training must include behavioral coaching.”
Read the entire article here: https://www.michigandaily.com/opinion/columns/the-cognitive-gap-in-cpr-training-is-costing-lives/
FDIC International 2024 Preview: Shock Delivered: Rethinking Public Access to Defibrillation to Make AEDs Accessible
Richard Shok will discuss the need for public hands-only CPR training and strategies for bringing AED units into open spaces.
Watch the preview here: https://www.jems.com/patient-care/cardiac-resuscitation/fdic-international-2024-preview-shock-delivered-rethinking-public-access-to-defibrillation-to-make-aeds-accessible/
Impact of center volume on in-hospital mortality in adult patients with out‑of‑hospital cardiac arrest resuscitated using extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation: a secondary analysis of the SAVE-J II study
Recently, patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) refractory to conventional resuscitation have started undergoing extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation (ECPR). However, the mortality rate of these patients remains high. This study aimed to clarify whether a center ECPR volume was associated with the survival rates of adult patients with OHCA resuscitated using ECPR.
After adjusting for patient characteristics, undergoing ECPR at high-volume centers was associated with an increased likelihood of survival compared to middle- (adjusted odds ratio 0.657; P = 0.003) and low-volume centers (adjusted odds ratio 0.983; P = 0.006). The annual number of ECPR sessions was associated with favorable survival rates and lower complication rates of the ECPR procedure.
Source: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-024-58808-y
Many 911 call centers are understaffed, and the job has gotten harder
Sara Harper says nothing really prepares you for the moment you put on that 911 headset.
“There’s a little spike of adrenaline because you’re like, ‘oh, god, here we go,'” says Harper, who started at Denver 911 in 2013. “‘What is this going to be? Is it just going to be an easy one? Is this going to be an annoying one? Is this going to be the call that changes my life?'”
For decades, 911 call takers have had three main options: send emergency medical responders, fire and police. A fourth option is becoming increasingly common: a mental health professional who responds to some calls instead of police. A study released this March found that 44 of the largest U.S. 50 cities now have an alternative response program, many of which don’t involve police at all.
Continue reading: https://www.npr.org/2024/04/05/1242310330/911-call-takers-police-alternative
‘No Pulse’: An MD’s First Night Off in 2 Weeks Turns Grave
It was my first night off after 12 days. It was a Friday night, and I went to a bar in Naples to get a beer with some friends. As it turned out, it wasn’t a night off after all.
As soon as we got inside, we heard over the speaker that they needed medical personnel and to please go to the left side of the bar. I thought it would be syncope or something like that.
I went over there and saw a woman holding up a man. He was basically leaning all over her. The light was low, and the music was pounding. I started to assess him and tried to get him to answer me. No response. I checked for pulses — nothing.
Now, I’m in a bar, right? It’s a cardiac arrest. The first thing you think is overdose or alcohol. I asked the woman if the man was doing any drugs. She said she didn’t know. Turns out they were both employees. He was a bouncer and a DJ.
The woman helped me lower him to the floor. I checked again for a pulse. Still nothing. I said, “Call 911,” and started compressions.
Great read: https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/no-pulse-mds-first-night-2-weeks-turns-grave-2024a10006uo?form=fpf
LKG 911 Community Task Force Medical Team adds 4th and 5th 24/7 Access AEDs
Special to The Herald
Residents and visitors to Lakeland Cultural Arts Center in Littleton now have a life-saving device right outside their door.
According to a press release, the Lake Gaston Lions Club agreed to purchase a climate controlled automated external defibrillator (AED) box to be installed outside the Wildwood Volunteer Fire Department. Lakeland had more than one AED onsite. It was decided that it would be most beneficial to install one of the AEDs near the amphitheater to benefit patrons of the summer activities held on the grounds.
Listen to or read the story here: https://www.rrdailyherald.com/community/valley/life-saving-aeds-now-available-at-two-new-locations/article_50db550a-e02c-599a-947c-2eecc2d465ed.html
‘Great impact’: Defibrillator program a lifesaver for 51 people
‘That’s 51 people walking around when the odds were against them,’ says paramedic official of life-saving program
In the past almost two decades, 51 lives have been saved thanks to the County of Simcoe Paramedics Services public access defibrillators (PAD) program.
This heartwarming fact was part of a presentation updating councillors on the county’s PAD program during Tuesday’s committee of the whole meeting.
“It’s hard to believe … it has been running since 2005. It seems like we just started it, but I know it’s made a great impact,” said the county’s chief administrative officer, Mark Aitken.
In Canada, 60,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests happen each year, Chantel Demers, the county’s deputy chief of logistics, said during the presentation.
That is an “astronomical number” that keeps getting higher each year as the population ages, she noted, adding that nine out of 10 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests will result in death without immediate intervention.
Read or listen to this article: https://www.orilliamatters.com/local-news/great-impact-defibrillator-program-a-lifesaver-for-51-people-8576425
FEATURED VIDEO: St John Ambulance Australia CPR Flashmob | Sydney Central Station- 2011
Watch the moment Sydney Central Station came alive to raise awareness of the importance of CPR.
Watch here: https://youtu.be/EekFi4iso2I?si=H-MfsNc8Pfbn5T5T
Spotlighting: Parent Heart Watch
Parent Heart Watch (PHW) is a national voice dedicated to protecting youth from sudden cardiac arrest and preventable sudden cardiac death. They lead and empower others by sharing information, educating and advocating for change.
Learn more about Parent Heart Watch here: https://parentheartwatch.org/
Did you catch something in the news related to resuscitation recently that you would like to see in this digest? Want to spotlight an event or activity aimed at improving cardiac arrest outcomes?
Feel free to email david@code1web.com