Monday February, 21 2011 Training – Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR)& Automated External Defibrillator (AED) Location: Indian River Station #2 On Monday evening, February 21st, the Indian River Volunteer Fire Company hosted a Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and automated external defibrillator (AED) training for its volunteers and emergency response personnel. The level of certification was health care provider. Unfortunately, the Indian River Volunteer Fire Company is alerted quite frequently for cardiac arrest incidents and this training is extremely important to providing the pre-hospital emergency services that are residents require. We are thankful that 26 volunteers chose to participate with these recertification and training efforts. The Delaware State Fire School provided the certified trainers for the event. The course instruction included topics for: • CPR o Adult o Infant o Child • AED o Adult o Infant / Child • Choking and Air Obstructions Pursuant to Wikipedia, the following information provided: (1) Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is an emergency procedure which is attempted in an effort to return life to a person in cardiac arrest. It is indicated in those who are unresponsive with no breathing or only gasps. It may be attempted both in and outside of a hospital. CPR involves chest compressions at a rate of at least 100 per minute in an effort to create artificial circulation by manually pumping blood through the heart. In addition the rescuer may provide breaths by either exhaling into their mouth or utilizing a device that pushes air into the lungs. The process of externally providing ventilation is termed artificial respiration. Current recommendations place emphasis on high quality chest compressions over artificial respirations and a method involving only chest compressions is recommended for untrained rescuers. CPR alone is unlikely to restart the heart; its main purpose is to restore partial flow of oxygenated blood to the brain and heart. It may delay tissue death and extend the brief window of opportunity for a successful resuscitation without permanent brain damage. An administering of an electric shock to the heart, termed defibrillation, is usually needed to restore a viable or "perfusing" heart rhythm. Defibrillation is only effective for certain heart rhythms, namely ventricular fibrillation or pulseless ventricular tachycardia, rather than asystole or pulseless electrical activity. CPR may however induce a shockable rhythm. CPR is generally continued until the person regains return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) or is declared dead. (2) Cardiac arrest, (also known as cardiopulmonary arrest or circulatory arrest) is the cessation of normal circulation of the blood due to failure of the heart to contract effectively. Medical personnel can refer to an unexpected cardiac arrest as a sudden cardiac arrest or SCA. A cardiac arrest is different from (but may be caused by) a heart attack, where blood flow to the muscle of the heart is impaired. Arrested blood circulation prevents delivery of oxygen to the body. Lack of oxygen to the brain causes loss of consciousness, which then results in abnormal or absent breathing. Brain injury is likely if cardiac arrest goes untreated for more than five minutes. For the best chance of survival and neurological recovery, immediate and decisive treatment is imperative. Cardiac arrest is a medical emergency that, in certain situations, is potentially reversible if treated early. When unexpected cardiac arrest leads to death this is called sudden cardiac death (SCD). The treatment for cardiac arrest is cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) to provide circulatory support, followed by defibrillation if a shockable rhythm is present. If a shockable rhythm is not present after CPR and other interventions, clinical death is inevitable. (3) An automated external defibrillator or AED is a portable electronic device that automatically diagnoses the potentially life threatening cardiac arrhythmias of ventricular fibrillation and ventricular tachycardia in a patient, and is able to treat them through defibrillation, the application of electrical therapy which stops the arrhythmia, allowing the heart to reestablish an effective rhythm. The first AED was originally designed and created by American biomedical engineer Joshua L. Koelker and Italian emergency medical professional Jordan M. Blondino to allow defibrillation in common public places. AEDs are designed to be simple to use for the layman, and the use of AEDs is taught in many first aid, first responder, and basic life support (BLS) level CPR classes.