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.
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Indira Gandhi
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
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/
International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation (ILCOR) releases 2024 Preprint Draft Consensus on Science with Treatment Recommendations (CoSTR) summary
ILCOR has implemented a continuous evidence evaluation process to ensure timely delivery and dissemination of the highest-quality resuscitation science evidence evaluation and consensus on treatment recommendations. It is essential that all members of the resuscitation community—policy makers, organizations, healthcare professionals, patients, and the public—have easy and timely access to the most current evidence.
To facilitate the continuous evidence evaluation process, ILCOR uses the services of contracted expert systematic reviewers to review existing evidence related to a specific question, to perform meta-analyses of the data, and summarize the science. The relevant task forces work with the expert systematic reviewers by providing topic content experts and review of GRADE evidence profile to produce a final Consensus on Science with Treatment Recommendations. The GRADE Evidence to Decision framework is being used by the task forces to assist with development of treatment recommendations. In some cases, several similar questions related to resuscitation and first aid may be combined into a ‘mega’ review. ILCOR uses contracted organizations, or Knowledge Synthesis Units, who are international leaders in evidence evaluation and GRADE methodology to conduct these complex reviews.
Click the link to read the full statement along with the appendices: https://ilcor.org/uploads/2024_ILCOR-CoSTR_240314_Ed-March-20-CLEAN_AUTHORS-UPDATE.pdf
The Race to Reinvent CPR
A new, high-tech approach called ECPR can restart more hearts and save more lives. Why aren’t more hospitals embracing it?
Greg Hayes, an emergency first responder in Chanhassen, Minn., was picking up takeout sushi when a 911 call came in: A 61-year-old had stopped breathing at home. Hayes and his team jumped in their ambulance and were soon pulling up in front of a suburban two-story house, where paramedics and other first responders were also arriving. All of them grabbed their equipment and raced through the open garage to find a man, gray and still, on the living-room floor with his wife and stepdaughter nearby.
Until that Thursday in August 2022, John Sauer’s most pressing health concern had been his seasonal allergies. After a routine day — desk job in front of a computer, a three-mile walk with his wife, some yardwork — he was sitting on the couch in front of the television with his wife, Kristen Waters. But when a commercial came on, he didn’t mute it as he usually did. Then, when his stepdaughter asked him a question about her car, he didn’t answer — he rolled his eyes at her instead. And he kept rolling them.
Waters, a nurse, checked for his pulse. His heart had stopped beating. She told her daughter to call 911, and the two women struggled to get Sauer, who is very tall and rather bulky, onto the ground to start CPR. Waters pushed up his sweaty T-shirt to expose his chest and began briskly pushing on his breastbone. She had taught CPR classes, but she had never done it on a real person. Up and down, up and down, her fingers interlocked, hand over hand. Sauer’s head bobbled limply around. Here I am doing chest compressions, she thought, and this CPR is never going to wake him up.
Read or listen to this article here: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/27/magazine/ecpr-cardiac-arrest-cpr.html?
Care facilities fined for failure to administer CPR, failure to call 911
A pair of Iowa care facilities are facing sanctions for failing to provide medical assistance for their residents, two of whom died.
Earlier this month, the Iowa Department of Inspections and Appeals proposed, but held in suspension, an $8,700 fine for the Aspire of Donnellson nursing home. In that case, the home had failed to attempt cardio-pulmonary resuscitation, or CPR, for two residents, both of whom died.
In the first of those two cases, according to state reports, a male resident of the home was found in his bed at 5:15 a.m. on Jan. 18, ashen colored with no pulse or respirations. The aide who found him later told inspectors the man was still warm when found. According to the inspectors, the aide had checked on the man after noticing his light was on, suggesting he was up or at least awake.
After noticing the man wasn’t breathing, the aide summoned a nurse and asked whether they should initiate CPR. The aide allegedly told inspectors the nurse never answered and instead called the family to report the man was dead.
Menlo Park community members honored for saving young girl’s life in February
Bystanders and first responders were honored for their life-saving actions in February during a March 19 Menlo Park Fire Protection District board meeting.
“What a wonderful day it is to celebrate our community,” said Fire Chief Mark Lorenzen. “All of us, whether we’re dispatchers, police officers, bystanders, or firefighters, that’s what we’re here for: to help our community.”
The 6-year-old survivor, Menlo Park resident Jules Arguello, had been spotted at a party on Santa Monica Avenue at around 6:40 p.m. on Feb. 10, lying facedown on a trampoline.
Can AED Signage Affect Cardiac Arrest Survival?
When it comes to sudden cardiac arrest, an AED (Automated External Defibrillator) is a device that can have a significant impact on someone’s chance of survival. Knowing where one is, or being able to find one rapidly can literally mean the difference between life and death in some cases.
What sign is the best one to help someone notice where an AED is located, or to help them find one quickly? Greg Page, survivor of sudden cardiac arrest and founder of Heart of the Nation, presents on some issues surrounding signage for AEDs and some research that has been conducted about public perception of signage.
Video presentation: https://youtu.be/v3PVYWSRrGc?si=9LBEKtFna5jY4uBN
Related article: https://aedteam.com/blogs/news/can-aed-signage-affect-cardiac-arrest-survival
Reaching out: A new lifesaving drive shows how to connect with Scotland’s diverse communities
Grandfather Shabir Beg was celebrating Muslim festival Eid with friends, family and colleagues when his adult son Shazad had a cardiac arrest.
The room at Glasgow’s historic Trades Hall was packed and Beg went into what he says was a state of shock. That was in June last year and though Shazad, who is in his 40s, would recover, the sense of helplessness Beg felt would spur him into action to address a need for cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) know-how in the Scottish Asian community.
What was a near-tragedy for his family, he believes, can help avoid heartbreak for others. “I was helpless,” Beg says. “My other sons were there, my nephews were there, and we were all helpless. If we had known CPR, we would have known how to react.
“There is a big, big gap.”
Beg says that gap covers other minority faith and ethnic communities too, and he is working with the Scottish Ambulance Service (SAS) to spread knowledge of how to save a life through targeted awareness sessions.
Read the story here: https://www.holyrood.com/inside-politics/view,reaching-out-a-new-lifesaving-drive-shows-how-to-connect-with-scotlands-diverse-communities
ENCORE! Victorian Ambulance Cardiac Arrest Registry (VACAR) Report Released
Every year, the Victorian Ambulance Cardiac Arrest Registry (VACAR) report offers invaluable insights into Victoria’s out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) system of care, revealing key statistics and initiatives geared towards enhancing survival rates.
Take a deeper dive into the findings and initiatives outlined in the VACAR Annual Report by accessing the full document.
Report Access: https://www.ambulance.vic.gov.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Ambulance%20Victoria%20VACAR%20Annual%20Report%202023.pdf
Cardiac Arrest Improvement Strategy: https://www.ambulance.vic.gov.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/CAIS%202023-2028.pdf
Under a new state law, youth coaches in Florida must undergo CPR and AED training
A new law signed by Governor Ron DeSantis on Friday requires youth athletic coaches to learn how to render life-saving aid—including CPR.
State Sen. Jay Collins, R-Tampa, sponsored the measure. He says as a parent, he wants every coach to know the basics.
“In our state, sudden cardiac arrest is a leading cause of death for student-athletes, ” he said during a recent state Senate committee hearing. “It impacts as many as 23,000 young people annually.
The measure applies to Florida’s public K-12 schools. Coaches must undergo CPR training every two years.
“This bill takes a remarkable step forward and make sure that when we’re not there with our kids, we can rest assured that the training does happen,” said Sen. Collins. “The tools are there to provide them that opportunity to have a successful outcome, when something does go wrong.”
The law also requires an AED, or automated external defibrillator, to be present at all sporting events, including practices and workouts.
FEATURED VIDEO: Executive Decision
It doesn’t take an Executive Decision to perform CPR. Use Hands-Only CPR!
Watch it here: https://youtu.be/qtdgvBDjvEs?si=DpONRc8CT2RUiDPg
ExCeL London has introduced lifesaving first-aid belts worn by all first responder security personnel
The belts, created by tac:life, contain vital medical components, including an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) to help visitors experiencing cardiac arrest.
ExCeL has also installed public ‘AED Responder’ units in static locations around the 100,000 sqm venue to further enhance response times and capabilities to medical emergencies. As well as the AEDs, kits contain trauma care articles that the public and staff can use if required.
ExCeL’s head of security and chair of the AEV Security Working Group, Henry Havis, said: “Time is everything when dealing with a medical emergency such as a cardiac arrest. By introducing both the trauma care belts and the additional public trauma units, it means we can greatly improve our response times and significantly increase the likelihood of a successful outcome.”
Source: https://exhibitionnews.uk/body-worn-defibrillators-debut-at-excel-london/
A Historical Perspective: THE CONSUMER ELECTRONICS HALL OF FAME: HEARTSTREAM FORERUNNER
Sometimes “consumer” means “the average person.”
Sudden cardiac arrest is among the leading causes of death. Unlike a heart attack, in which blood flow to the heart becomes blocked, cardiac arrest occurs when the heart stops beating. The onset is sudden and comes without warning. Unless there’s immediate treatment, the chances of surviving cardiac arrest drop 10 percent with every passing minute. It takes paramedics an average of 8 to 12 minutes to respond, according to the National Safety Council. Do the math. It’s not encouraging for people in arrest.
Heartstream’s Forerunner radically improved the survival odds from sudden cardiac arrest by virtue of being the first automated external defibrillator (AED) that could be used by anyone, not just certified medical personnel, who are almost guaranteed to arrive too late to provide effective treatment. Now a common sight in airports, schools, and shopping malls, lunchbox-size AEDs are easy and safe to use and highly effective at administering a precise electrical jolt to restart the heart. Since 1996, when the Forerunner was introduced, AEDs have helped save tens of thousands of lives worldwide. The NIH estimates that AEDs save 1,700 people every year in the United States alone.
Source: https://spectrum.ieee.org/the-consumer-electronics-hall-of-fame-heartstream-forerunner
Spotlighting Heartsmart Lee County
Lee County and Southwest Florida commits to transforming the quality of emergency response, healthcare systems, and community education, with the shared goal of significantly increasing survival rates for cardiac arrest victims in the county.
Through collaborative efforts and commitment, Heartsmart Lee County endeavors to empower their community with the knowledge, skills and resources needed to respond swiftly and effectively in times of crisis.
Learn more about this innovative and dedicated group who is determined to make a profound impact on the lives of those affected by cardiac arrest here: https://www.heartsmartlee.com/
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?
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