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The most comprehensive library of emergency training resources — including videos, articles, downloads, and more.
The most comprehensive library of emergency training resources — including videos, articles, downloads, and more.
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.
If not us, who? If not now, when?
-President John F. Kennedy
As iatrogenic hyperoxia has been related to adverse outcomes in critically ill patients, guidelines advise to titrate oxygen to physiological levels. In the prehospital setting where partial arterial oxygen (PaO2) values are often not readily available, titration of oxygen is based on peripheral oxygen saturations (SpO2). In this study researchers aimed to investigate the efficacy of SpO2 guided oxygen titration in the prevention of hyperoxia.
Learn about the study and findings here: https://sjtrem.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13049-025-01323-4
AUBURN, Ala. (WTVM) – Automatic External Defibrillators (AED) are now installed in several locations in Auburn. Officials say the medical devices will ensure safety in the community.
An AED is a device that can help restart the heart of someone who goes into cardiac arrest. Kevin Kelly with Auburn Parks and Recreation explains why it’s important to have those devices available in public places like the park.
“If the heart isn’t pumping, you know it’s just a matter of minutes, so it’s great to have these on sites and it will save lives,” said Kelly.
Kelly has seen first hand what it’s like to have an available AED. He says the medical device makes the difference between life and death.
“We have had incidents for sure at one of our baseball fields where this has happened and we were able to get the AED to the person to save their life,” said Kelly.
Print and video story: https://www.wtvm.com/2025/01/14/auburn-parks-recreation-install-five-aeds-key-locations/
13 Investigates found Indiana did not deliver on a promise to find out how many AEDs are in schools and if they’re prepared to use them.
Watch the in depth video story here: https://www.wthr.com/video/news/investigations/13-investigates/sidelined-school-aed-report-incomplete-after-only-half-of-indiana-schools-participated-13-investigates/531-9cab2a07-f87b-4d47-abc5-0221f71e49fa
Cardiac arrest is a sudden, often fatal event that can occur with little warning, striking individuals both young and old. The survival rate from out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) is distressingly low, with timely defibrillation being a critical intervention that can significantly improve patient outcomes. The deployment of AEDs in public spaces is recognized as a key strategy to facilitate early defibrillation and increase the chances of survival. Despite the clear benefits of AEDs, their distribution across communities remains uneven, with many areas lacking adequate access to these life-saving devices. What exactly are the reasons for these disparities?
Learn more about the findings: https://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12889-025-21341-2
The FDNY Foundation is proud to announce the FDNY’s Mobile CPR Unit trained 104,277 people in lifesaving CPR techniques in 2024, an increase of 55% from 2023.
The achievement reflects the FDNY Foundation’s commitment to educating New Yorkers about important fire and life safety information.
“The FDNY Mobile CPR Unit’s continued success is a testament to the life-changing impact of this program and underscores the FDNY Foundation’s commitment to supporting initiatives that directly empower the FDNY and New Yorkers to save lives in their communities,” FDNY Foundation Chairman Matthew J. DiLiberto said. “Through the FDNY Foundation’s support, we are equipping more New Yorkers than ever with the critical skills needed to respond during emergencies, turning bystanders into lifesavers. This achievement exemplifies our mission to help make New York City safer one person at a time.”
About 28% of the trainees in 2024 were high school students. Early CPR and the use of an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) have been shown to dramatically increase the chance of survival in victims who experience sudden cardiac arrest. The first few minutes after a person goes into cardiac arrest are the most critical.
Three minutes into the game between Dover and Life Christian Academy, a 16-year-old dropped to the ground.
A Dover High School student is alive thanks to a basketball player on an opposing team.
Randy Vitales, a 16-year-old sophomore at Dover, went into full cardiac arrest during a basketball tournament last Thursday at Mulhall-Orlando High School. On Tuesday, he saw the person who helped save his life for the first time.
“There’s no way you were going to die on that court. I wasn’t going to let you,” Magnus Miller, a player on the opposing team, said.
Video and print story: https://www.koco.com/article/oklahoma-dover-basketball-player-saved-opponent-collapsing-randy-vitales-magnus-miller/63425392
Funding will help integrate lifesaving CPR training into opioid response programs in Cuyahoga County.
CLEVELAND (January 8, 2025) — The American Heart Association, a global force for a world of longer, healthier lives, has received $125,000 in grant funding from the OneOhio Recovery Foundation. The grant will go toward the Association’s efforts to address critical gaps identified in opioid overdose education and response programs across Ohio, specifically the absence of CPR training, including rescue breaths and chest compressions.
This need is particularly pressing in predominantly Black communities, where opioid-related deaths are rising, and access to resources is limited. These communities also experience lower rates of CPR training and bystander intervention, contributing to poorer outcomes in emergencies. The American Heart Association plans to use this funding to integrate CPR training into opioid education programs, prioritizing underserved areas to improve access to lifesaving skills and resources.
“By integrating CPR training into opioid education programs and focusing on underserved areas, we can empower individuals with lifesaving skills and address the disparities that have led to disproportionately poor outcomes in predominantly Black communities,” said Shelley Webber, executive director, American Heart Association. “This grant allows us to take meaningful steps toward saving lives and building a stronger, healthier future for everyone.”
For everyone ambling into high school chemistry on the morning of 20 April 2022, the day seemed as life-changing as you would expect from a group of teenagers preparing for an hour-long stoichiometry lesson. I was a sophomore student at Station Camp High School in Gallatin, Tennessee. Like every morning, the bell would ring, students would take their seats and our teacher (Coach Bartlett) would begin class. It is interesting how we define seemingly meaningless times in our lives. We even have phrases like ‘killing time’ to characterise these throwaway moments.
I looked down at my watch. I had plenty of time to eat my strawberry Pop Tart before class started. Coach Bartlett worked hard to challenge students but was also flexible and laid-back enough to let students eat in his classroom before class. This was important for me; as a varsity track and cross-country runner, I typically ran around 65 kilometres a week. Regional championships were coming up, and I had a good shot at helping my team place by running in the 1600 m and 3200 m races. I was satisfied with my personal best mile time of 04:55 and 5K time of 17:50 but was looking forward to shaving a few more seconds off my times. The difference between good and great is only a matter of seconds.
Munching on my much-needed calorie source, I glanced down at my watch in the way time-conscious runners do. My resting heart rate was typical for me at around 50 beats per minute. My only medication was a daily multivitamin, I slept 8 hours a night, ate three healthy meals a day and each year I passed my routine annual sports physical examination. At 16 years old and without any medical problems, I was in peak athletic shape. My chemistry class started in 2 min and my short-term goal was to finish my snack. 2 min was always more than enough time to finish off a Pop Tart.
And then it was not.
The bell never rang.
My heart stopped.
I slumped over unconscious in my chair. And then a race for life began.
Continue: https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/early/2025/01/12/bjsports-2024-109519?rss=1
Montgomery County fire and rescue officials said a firefighter died after responding to a house fire in neighboring Prince George’s County, Maryland.
The Rockville Fire Department identified the firefighter as Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service Master Firefighter Christopher Higgins.
In a news conference on Saturday, fire officials said he was 46 years old.
Higgins was part of a mutual aid response and was assigned to a unit from the Burtonsville Volunteer Fire Department, MCFRS Station 15, the fire department said.
He collapsed while fighting a house fire in Laurel around 5 p.m. on Saturday. It happened while he was “throwing ladders” to a house in the 15000 block of Bradford Drive.
During the house fire an emergency happened “where we had to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation efforts to our firefighter,” Montgomery County Fire Chief Corey Smedley said.
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/
A new directive from the Nebraska Public Service Commission requires all 911 operators to be trained in how to give CPR instructions.
Watch the video story here: https://www.ketv.com/article/nebraska-dispatchers-saving-lives-with-new-cpr-directive/63385845
Experts from the European Resuscitation Council’s Basic Life Support Science and Education Committee (ERC BLS SEC), specializing in teaching adult BLS, participated in the first phase of the pilot study. This phase employed the modified reactive Delphi to develop a 5-finger mnemonic for teaching schoolchildren the theoretical aspects of adult BLS steps, in accordance with the 2021 ERC BLS guidelines. The mnemonic underwent revision rounds based on expert suggestions and was evaluated using a 9-point Likert scale. The process was repeated until there was unanimous approval. In the second phase, a pilot test was conducted with schoolchildren at a summer camp to assess their recall of the 5-finger mnemonic. Following their training in adult BLS steps utilizing the 5-finger mnemonic, schoolchildren were tasked with arranging cards depicting images from the mnemonic both before and after the training.
Learn about the results here: https://bmcmededuc.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12909-024-06519-3
“In choosing this year’s focus and theme, we have expanded our topics and reach to use our lessons learned, research, and best practices to address the preparation, identification and care in resuscitating patients whose hearts have stopped no matter the cause.”
-Ed Racht, MD, CASSummit 2025 Program Chair
Learn more here: https://citizencpr.org/cassummit/
At the Citizen CPR Foundation, their mission is to save lives from sudden cardiac arrest by fostering a culture of preparedness and response within communities.
They believe that every individual has the potential to make a difference in time-sensitive emergencies. The Citizen CPR Foundation is committed to empowering citizens, professionals and organizations through comprehensive education, training and advocacy. Together, with other champions, they aim to create stronger community support systems that will improve sudden cardiac arrest outcomes.
About the foundation: https://citizencpr.org/
Feel free to email david@code1web.com
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