Emergency Cardiac Care News Digest - Apr 19, 2024

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 most important thing in communication is hearing what isn’t said.

Peter Drucker

THANK YOU, Public safety telecommunicators! National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week

Public Safety Telecommunicators are the 1st, First Responders to answer the call for help and are a calm voice, in the middle of the storm.
Public Safety Telecommunicators receive nearly 250 million 911 calls each year, each one requiring specialized knowledge and a calm, collected response to calls for help. The National 911 Program, housed in NHTSA’s Office of Emergency Medical Services, not only provides people with help over the phone, but also helps to mobilize the correct resources to emergencies.
During National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week, held annually during the second week of April, we honor the telecommunications personnel in the public safety community and thank them for dedicating their lives to serving the public.

About National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week: https://www.nhtsa.gov/national-911-public-safety-telecommunicators-week
Related-History of 911: https://www.lcdes.org/history/

Dispatch – Short Film

Based on a true story. A rookie 911 dispatcher receives a bizarre phone call, plunging him into a horrific waiting game.

Check it out: https://youtu.be/0WAYHwhMcW4?si=pCtQojduSAVMXdI3

ENCORE! 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

Use of Initial Endotracheal versus Intravenous Epinephrine During Neonatal

Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation in the Delivery Room: Review of a National Database
This retrospective multi-center study reports data from 408 newborns receiving epinephrine during Delivery Room CPR (DR-CPR). This study suggests the initial use of ET epinephrine is reasonable during DR-CPR as there were higher rates of ROSC compared with initial administration of IV epinephrine. However, administration of IV epinephrine should not be delayed in infants not responding to an initial dose of ET epinephrine; as almost half of those infants subsequently received IV epinephrine prior to achieving ROSC.

Access the full study here: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0022347624001616

Life-saving hero awarded $25,000 scholarship after saving toddler’s life

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (CBS12) — A West Palm Beach woman was awarded a full scholarship to Palm Beach State College (PBSC) on Tuesday for a heroic act that saved a child’s life.
Jermya Adams, 23, of West Palm Beach, was presented a full scholarship for $25,000 to Palm Beach State College at the College’s Yvonne S. Boice STEAM Luncheon.
Adams was invited to the luncheon by the Foundation for Palm Beach State College. According to the vice president of Institutional Advancement and CEO of the Foundation for PBSC, David Rutherford, Adams was told she was going to be honored and presented with a certificate.

Full story with video coverage: https://cbs12.com/news/local/life-saving-hero-awarded-25000-scholarship-after-saving-toddlers-life

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

Firefighter who had a cardiac arrest on sports field says he wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for the colleagues who saved him

Two firefighters who saved the life of a colleague who was refereeing a shinty match in Highland when he suffered a cardiac arrest have been recognised for their heroic efforts.
Firefighters Conor Cormack and Keith MacRae swiftly retrieved a nearby defibrillator to use on Watch Commander Steven MacLachlan during a cup match between Shiel and Caberfeidh in Strathpeffer on Saturday, 30 March.
They started cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) on the pitch until paramedics arrived. Steven was transported to Raigmore Hospital in Inverness and is recovering well.
Steven returned to the pitch grounds on Saturday (13 April) to support his colleagues who were presented with certificates.
Reflecting on the incident, Steven said: “If it wasn’t for Conor and Keith, I wouldn’t be here to tell the tale. The pair of them thoroughly deserve the recognition they’ve been given.”

Read on: https://www.firescotland.gov.uk/news/firefighter-who-had-a-cardiac-arrest-on-sports-field-says-he-wouldn-t-be-here-if-it-wasn-t-for-the-colleagues-who-saved-him/

Puxton Adventure Park installs life-saving defibrillator

The crucial device, aiming to enhance the safety of visitors and staff, was secured via a partnership with the Great Western Air Ambulance Charity (GWAAC).
GWAAC, the local air ambulance charity for North Somerset, attended to 262 patients in the county last year, with around 32 per cent of these calls being for cardiac arrests.
Key to survival in these instances is timely intervention.
As such, the integration of Puxton Park’s defibrillator into the National Defibrillator Network aims to ensure rapid access.

Source: https://www.thewestonmercury.co.uk/news/24257086.puxton-adventure-park-installs-life-saving-defibrillator/

Girl Scout saves boy’s life by using CPR training she learned months before harrowing event

Rina Nakano profiles Ivy Nguyen, the Girl Scout turned hero who used CPR training she learned with her troop to save a boy’s life when a day at the pool nearly turned into a tragic event.

Watch it here: https://www.cbsnews.com/losangeles/video/girl-scout-saves-boys-life-by-using-cpr-training-she-learned-months-before-harrowing-event/

FEATURED VIDEO: Learn Hands-Only CPR from St. David’s HealthCare
In a matter of minutes you can learn hands-only CPR. This entertaining cartoon will give you the simple steps that could literally be the matter of life and death.

Watch it here: https://youtu.be/-ni7bW55KbI?si=JcqqBqVhRIuztFzk

Spotlighting: PulsePoint Foundation

Only when Fire Chief Richard Price saw paramedics arrive did he realize how close he’d been to a cardiac arrest victim. He understood then how close you could be to someone in need while unaware of the emergency. Trained in CPR, with an AED in his car, he knew he likely could have made a difference in the outcome if he was made aware minutes earlier. He soon wondered if a modern, location-aware mobile phone linked to the local 9-1-1 dispatch center could alert CPR-trained citizens that were in the immediate vicinity and willing to help. These “citizen responders” might be just feet away, on the floor above or in the building next door, like Price. Close enough to make a difference, but far enough away to be unaware of the need for help. Within days of this event, Price’s vision for the PulsePoint app was a point on the horizon.
PulsePoint is a 501(c)(3) public non-profit foundation building applications that help public safety agencies inform and engage their citizens.

Learn more about the PulsePoint Foundation here: https://www.pulsepoint.org/foundation

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