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.
Detroit Becomes Largest City to Achieve HEARTSafe Community Designation
From the heartbreak of previously having one of the lowest cardiac arrest survival rates in the nation, Detroit has risen with resilience.
More than a decade of hard work and dedication is paying off as Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan and Executive Fire Commissioner Chuck Simms today announced the City of Detroit is the largest municipality to earn the HEARTSafe Community designation.
This achievement means Detroit is 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.
The Detroit Fire Department has been working to pursue the HEARTSafe Community designation to highlight their ongoing commitment to the cardiac health of Detroiters and to improving survival rates for patients who suffer cardiac arrest citywide.
“Our team has been working behind the scenes for nearly twenty years, gathering data on cardiac arrest, building relationships, and working to improve outcomes,” said Mayor Mike Duggan. “Thanks to the Citizen CPR Foundation for highlighting this critical effort and giving us actionable goals to continue to work towards.”
Full story: https://detroitmi.gov/news/city-detroit-becomes-largest-municipality-achieve-heartsafe-community-designation
Related coverage: https://youtu.be/GNEaw6dOOm4?si=pXC8JIy8U3J6d8E8
Resuscitation Science Symposium 2024, November 16–17, 2024, Chicago, IL
Join multidisciplinary discussions on the latest in resuscitation science and practice implementation in emergency settings. Build your network and knowledge by engaging with critical care and emergency professionals.
This is an international forum geared towards lively discussions focusing on recent advances in treating cardiopulmonary arrest, discussing bench-to-bedside and community-based research findings related to cardiopulmonary and resuscitation science, emergency cardiovascular care, and CPR quality improvement in adults and pediatrics. Engage with multidisciplinary peers and build your network at every stage of your career.
Learn more here: https://professional.heart.org/en/meetings/resuscitation-science-symposium
CPR Therapeutics has seven studies accepted for presentation at the American Heart Association annual meeting
CPR Therapeutics, Inc (CPR-T), a development-stage medtech startup funded by the N.I.H and N.S.F to develop a generation technology for cardiopulmonary resuscitation, has announced that seven of its pre-clinical studies had been accepted after peer review for presentation at the annual American Heart Association Resuscitation Science Symposium (AHA-RESS). This year, the meeting will be in Chicago the week of November 16th.
CPR Therapeutics, Inc. is developing the first multimodal precision non-invasive system for cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). It will be a more effective treatment for cardiac arrest, which is one of the leading causes of death worldwide. There are currently no devices that are consistently more effective than old-style manual chest compressions. Intact survival after cardiac arrest remains below 10% in many communities.
Slinger (WI) Firefighters Save Their Apparatus Driver During Cardiac Emergency
Westphal got in to drive the fire apparatus and that’s when things went black. He lost consciousness and experienced a cardiac emergency.
On July 27, Slinger Fire Department volunteer firefighter Jeff Westphal was preparing to go out on a call for a carbon monoxide detector activation, tmj4.com reported.
Westphal got in to drive the fire apparatus and that’s when things went black. He lost consciousness and experienced a cardiac emergency, the report said.
Captain Tim Roskopf was sitting next to Westphal in the apparatus and first noticed him slump over. Roskopf and five other firefighters immediately began to give Westphal aid. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) was performed and firefighters used the station’s automated external defibrillator (AED), according to the report.
Firefighter Down: CPR
Prevention, Recognition, Response
When the unthinkable happens, and a firefighter collapses on an emergency scene, we need to be prepared to provide the highest level of care possible. We know that good neurological outcomes can be had in out of hospital cardiac arrest provided high quality chest compressions are initiated early. Unfortunately, the resuscitation of a downed firefighter presents a special concern: they’re in full turn out gear with an SCBA!
Learn more: https://fd-cpr.com/
CPR, AED Helps Save Lincoln County Man’s Life
TROY – When Angie Kietzny heard a loud boom come from the other room, she was convinced her boyfriend had tripped over the cats.
But when she went to check on him, she discovered he was lying on the floor and gasping for air, in the throws of cardiac arrest. While she didn’t know how to perform cardio pulmonary resuscitation (CPR), the 911 operator walked her through it.
Fortunately for Lester though, six minutes after that 911 call, paramedics arrived with a device that would save his life: an AED (automated external defibrillator).
Learn more about this great save: https://www.lincolnnewsnow.com/lifestyles/cpr-aed-helps-save-lincoln-county-man-s-life/article_cf2288f6-60d3-11ef-a30b-538b3b7ba497.html
Cork students awarded for completing CPR programme
Students from four Cork schools have been given potentially lifesaving training in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and have each been recognised for their efforts.
St Patrick’s College in Montenotte, St Colman’s Community College in Midleton, Coláiste Muire in Cobh, and St Colman’s Community College in Youghal, are beginning the new academic year with an Irish Heart Foundation award for training their students in CPR.
Students from each of the schools received CPR 4 Schools Awards, which recognise schools, teachers, and students for remarkable efforts in CPR promotion and training. The schools were among 36 across Ireland which were presented with 57 awards as part of the national heart and stroke charity’s CPR 4 Schools programme.
Since the scheme’s inception, 2,630 teachers in 649 post-primary schools have taken part, learning how to deliver CPR and giving the programme a reach of over 350,000 post-primary school students.
Source: https://www.echolive.ie/corknews/arid-41464144.html
Fiesta Bowl Charities Delivers Automated External Defibrillator (AED) Equipment and Certified Training to Arizona Schools
Program, in Partnership with BHHS Legacy Foundation, Impacts 9,200+ Students and 700 Teachers in Avondale, Mesa and Tri-State Region
SCOTTSDALE, AZ (August 26, 2024) – Helping fill a critical need on school campuses across Arizona, Fiesta Bowl Charities unveiled its latest community initiative by creating an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) Assistance Program presented by BHHS Legacy Foundation, which included certified training sessions and donated AED units for schools in Mesa, Avondale and Bullhead City.
As part of the Fiesta Bowl Charities AED Assistance Program presented by BHHS Legacy Foundation, more than 9,200 students and 700 teachers across 16 schools benefited from the first year of the program.
Chiefs reportedly optimistic LB BJ Thompson will play in 2024 following seizure, cardiac arrest this offseason
Thompson will start the season on the non-football injury list.
The Kansas City Chiefs have placed linebacker BJ Thompson on the non-football injury list, roughly two months after the second-year linebacker was hospitalized after suffering a seizure and going into cardiac arrest during a special teams meeting.
“As a team we tried to stabilize BJ and then put him on the floor while he was still seizing. Then he went into cardiac arrest,” Burkholder said at the time, via Today. “Our team of that group of people provided CPR for him. He had one AED (automated external defibrillator) shock and came back. So he was only in cardiac arrest for probably less than a minute, minute and a half.
Life Saved at Pickleball Tournament by CPR
Life Saved at Pickleball Tournament: On August 26, 2024, a potential tragedy was averted at a Brentwood pickleball tournament thanks to the quick actions of two bystanders. A player suffered a cardiac arrest during the event, but immediate intervention by fellow participants ensured the player’s survival and recovery.
Brentwood Fire & Rescue (BFR) units were dispatched to the scene following reports of a cardiac arrest. Upon arrival, they found the patient conscious and under the care of two pickleball players who had stepped in to provide critical assistance.
Cardiac Arrest and the Overwhelming Road to Recovery: A Story About Transitions
One of the many challenges in medicine is making patient communication and education a priority when time is limited. Patients who have experienced trauma followed by a complicated hospital course, and equally complex discharge instructions, deserve a robust safety net from the health care system. That net is typically primary care. However, due to poor access to hospital records, compounded by time constraints for those follow-up visits, counseling, and referrals are frequently incomplete. As a primary care physician, I can now look back at my journey as a patient and see how confusing the transition was from inside to outside the hospital. I am sharing my story of recovery to highlight the obstacles and bright spots along the way that fuel my passion to bring change to a system that does not always work for the people it is meant to serve. My goal is to move the needle in health care communication so that patient instructions to follow-up outpatient from hospital discharge are defined by comfort, completeness, and continuity.
More: https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/CIRCOUTCOMES.124.011076?fbclid=
Defibtech recalls chest compression device linked to patient death
Customers are asked to return affected devices due to a problem in the motor that could stop compressions.
Defibtech has recalled a chest compression device after receiving reports of one injury and one death, the Food and Drug Administration said Thursday.
The company asked customers in July to return affected devices due to a problem in the motor that could stop compressions and delay therapy.
Although one complaint was associated with a death, Defibtech said it had no evidence that the device malfunction was responsible. The recall affects 174 devices in the U.S., as well as 37 products that were sold overseas.
Source: https://www.medtechdive.com/news/defibtech-recall-chest-compression-device/725073/
Resuscitation Academy Foundation Announces New Medical Director
Dr. Andy McCoy was appointed as the new medical director of the Resuscitation Academy Foundation.
Dr. Andy McCoy has been selected as the new Medical Director for the prestigious Resuscitation Academy Foundation. With a wealth of experience in emergency medical services and a deep-rooted involvement with the Academy, Dr. McCoy brings a unique perspective to this vital role. “We are thrilled to have Dr. McCoy join the team as our new clinical leader” said Ann Doll, Executive Director.
Sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) is a leading cause of death worldwide, with over 350,000 cases occurring annually in the United States alone. Survival rates vary from less than 5% to 60% depending on the community, so where you live may determine if you live. Immediate and effective resuscitation is crucial for survival, making the work of the Resuscitation Academy Foundation more important than ever. The Foundation is dedicated to improving pre-hospital emergency care and enhancing survival rates through education, training, and research.
More on Dr. McCoy: https://www.jems.com/ems-management/resuscitation-academy-foundation-announces-new-medical-director/
Doctors saved her life. She didn’t want them to
Marie Cooper led her life according to her Christian faith. She baked pies for her neighbors in northern West Virginia and said grace before even a bite of food. She watched Jimmy Swaggart, a televangelist preacher — a little too loudly, in her daughter Sherry Uphold’s opinion. And she always said that at the end of her life, she did not want to be resuscitated.
“My mother’s religious belief is when it is her time to go, that’s God’s choosing, not hers,” Uphold said. “She was very adamant about that.”
Last winter, doctors found cancer cells in Cooper’s stomach. She’d had “do not resuscitate” and “do not intubate” orders on file for decades and had just filled out new copies, instructing medical staff to withhold measures to restart her heart if it stopped and to never give her a breathing tube.
In February, Cooper walked into the hospital for a routine stomach scope to determine the severity of the cancer. After the procedure, Uphold visited her mother in the recovery room and saw her in a panic. Despite having an oxygen tube in her nose, Cooper was gesturing as if she could not breathe. She was able to force out just one word at a time.
Entire article: https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/doctors-saved-her-life-she-didnt-want-them-to/
OHIO continues to enhance campus safety with new AED installations
Ohio University’s Athens campus has recently bolstered its emergency preparedness with the installation of five new Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) in key residential areas. This initiative, in consultation with Student Senate, aims to improve access to life-saving equipment for students living on campus.
The new AEDs were strategically placed in high-traffic, residential areas to ensure the greatest amount of visibility and access to students. These new locations include Gamerstfelder, Dougan and Treudley laundry centers, as well as Jefferson East End and the Living Learning Center on South Green.
“Installing AED’s in highly visible and accessible public spaces on each green ensures a greater level of access for all students,” Jneanne Hacker, director of Housing and Residence Life, said. “All residential, commuter and off-campus students have access to green engagement centers like the Living Learning Center and Jefferson East End, which means increased availability of AEDs in case of a cardiac emergency involving students, faculty, staff or visitors.”
More info: https://www.ohio.edu/news/2024/08/ohio-continues-enhance-campus-safety-new-aed-installations
SPOTLIGHTING: Strategies to Improve Cardiac Arrest Survival – A Time to Act
Strategies to Improve Cardiac Arrest Survival examines the complete system of response to cardiac arrest in the United States and identifies opportunities within existing and new treatments, strategies, and research that promise to improve the survival and recovery of patients. The recommendations of Strategies to Improve Cardiac Arrest Survival provide high-priority actions to advance the field as a whole. This report will help citizens, government agencies, and private industry to improve health outcomes from sudden cardiac arrest across the United States.
Learn more: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK305685/
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