The 2010 guidelines for CPR….

The American Heart Association (AHA) on October 18, 2010 has unveiled its new guidelines on Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR), which aim to improve rescue time and make the process easier. The “2010 American Heart Association (AHA) Guidelines for Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and Emergency Cardiovascular Care” went online on October 18, 2010 in AHA’s publication, Circulation (http://circ.ahajournals.org/).

No worries, your First Voice manufactured equipment is not obsolete! All First Voice manufactured products and software are fully upgradeable.

Think Safe will work diligently to update our First Voice audio and text prompts, instruction manuals, and any other materials for the 2010 CPR guideline updates.  It will take all major training organizations 6-9 months to release updated training materials to instructors.  All First Voice modifications and updates will be available before December 31, 2010 and we will post updates on our blog and provide email notifications of any upgrade completions and how to notify your customers for their upgrade.

What are the changes in CPR?  Here is a summary of the CPR updates to help you understand differences in protocol and new training requirements.

Starting CPR with chest compressions helps save lives

Emphasizing that every second counts, the new guidelines recommend that instead of first opening an unconscious person’s airway and breathing into his mouth, rescuers—whether onlookers or emergency experts—should initiate chest compressions immediately to revive victims of a sudden cardiac arrest.

The stress on the primacy of chest compressions over oral resuscitation led the AHA to revise the standard CPR procedure from the familiar ABC (Airway-Breathing-Compressions) to CAB (Compressions-Airway-Breathing).

“For more than 40 years, CPR training has emphasized the ABCs of CPR, which instructed people to open a victim’s airway by tilting their head back, pinching the nose and breathing into the victim’s mouth, and only then giving chest compressions,” Michael Sayre, M.D., co-author of the guidelines and chairman of the American Heart Association’s Emergency Cardiovascular Care Committee, said in an AHA press release. “This approach was causing significant delays in starting chest compressions, which are essential for keeping oxygen-rich blood circulating through the body. Changing the sequence from A-B-C to C-A-B for adults and children allows all rescuers to begin chest compressions right away.”

C-A-B takes into account that, in the first few minutes of a cardiac arrest, some amount of oxygen remains in the lungs and bloodstream of the patient. Chest compressions can pump that blood to the victim’s brain and heart sooner. In contrast, the traditional “old” A-B-C method delays the start of chest compressions; the rescuer has to tilt the victim’s head to open up the airway and apply breaths to commence mouth-to-mouth.

Giving initial chest compressions was found to trim off 30 critical seconds in rescue time and potentially helps save the patient’s life.

Hands On

A couple years ago, the American Heart Association recommended that untrained bystanders use hands-only CPR for an adult victim who suddenly collapses. The new guidelines make this the official policy and include health-care professionals as well. The process also applies for children and infants but excludes newborns.

The AHA hopes that with the updated rules, more people will volunteer to help a heart attack victim. Experts have noted the reluctance of passersby to give aid out of panic, uncertainty about their lifesaving skills, and squeamishness of mouth-to-mouth breathing. With hands-only CPR, the steps are streamlined: Call 911 and push hard and fast on the center of the chest until help arrives.

NEW Guidelines Summary

Here are the new 2010 guidelines from the AHA:

1. Before starting, shake the victim’s shoulders and shout to get his reaction. If the victim is unresponsive, call 911, which should now instruct callers by phone to start chest compressions when cardiac arrest is suspected.

2. Removal of “look, listen, and feel for breathing” from the sequence.  Instead, Begin chest compressions. At least 100 per minute from the previous instruction of close to 100. Compressions must also be strong enough to depress the chest by at least 2 inches in adults and 1.5 inches in infants. This will allow blood and oxygen to keep flowing to the brain until medics arrive.

3. Make sure to fully release the chest before beginning the next compression. Avoid leaning on the victim’s chest so it can return to the starting position.

4. For rescuers with no CPR training, continue chest compressions until help comes.

5. For trained health professionals, open the airway after 30 chest compressions and begin mouth-to-mouth breathing. Give two breaths and then resume chest compressions. Continue sets of 30 chest compressions and two breaths until help arrives.

The last resuscitation guidelines were publicized in 2005. For more information on the new rules, check out the heart association’s video “2010 Guidelines for CPR” on YouTube.

There are devices, like the First Voice Emergency Instruction Device (EID) that provide instruction via audio and text for emergencies including CPR – from scene safety to assessment to administration of chest compressions and breaths (if appropriate) to proper PPE for rescuers and cleanup.  The First Voice EID retails at $249US and is available from safety and first aid dealers nationally.  Visit www.firstvoice.us for more information or:

http://www.firstvoice.us/Products/EmergencyInstructionDevice/tabid/285/Default.aspx

Various Think Safe EID brands/models can be purchased in over 6 languages and with US or European protocols (compliant with all major training organizations and easily updateable via datacard replacement ports).  Please contact us for full details on model/part numbers and language configurations at or email us at info@think-safe.com for more information.  Think Safe – Making Minutes Matter and saving more lives with effective CPR and CPR Training!

Sources:Circulation (http://circ.ahajournals.org/)

September is National Emergency Preparedness Month

SEPTEMBER IS NATIONAL EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS MONTH
How you can prepare for, plan, and be informed during emergency situations

Hiawatha, Iowa, September 10, 2009 – Emergency scenarios can happen at any time, in any place, and it’s crucial that the right tools are on hand so no time is wasted in dealing with a situation. For natural disasters and mass disasters, it is interesting to look at the Top 10 Myths that exist. While organizations such as National Safety Council and Ready.gov focus on providing tools and promoting preparedness it is ultimately up to each individual to plan and be prepared. September marks a month-long focus on the importance of emergency preparedness, headed by FEMA.

“National Preparedness Month 2009 (September 2009) will focus on changing perceptions about emergency preparedness and will help Americans understand what it truly means to be Ready.“*

For medical emergencies, certain emergencies demand a 4-minute or less time to respond appropriately for survival and recovery of the victim. It is important to work with organizations that understand the importance of being ready and offer comprehensive medical emergency training and tools. The American Heart Association’s chain of survival for Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) – the leading killer of Americans each year – is an example of one such organization that is educating and promoting preparedness and Automated External Defibrillator (AED) placements to improve 5% survival rates out-of-hospital from SCA to over 60% due to defibrillation during those first vital minutes after the event.

Dr. Donald Linder, doctor of emergency medicine at St. Luke’s Hospital – one of the nation’s Top 100 Heart Hospitals – says that AEDs are a key tool but is quick to also support adequate training and smart devices such as the American Lifeguard endorsed First Voice Emergency Instruction Device** (EID) for total medical first aid preparedness. “With over 3.8 million disabling workplace injuries in the US annually, and first aid and CPR skills studies showing only a six-week retention, EIDs provides a quality solution for the retention problem.”

“We’re in the business of saving lives. People need to take appropriate measures to be prepared for the unexpected, and our mission is to make sure there are products out there that offer the best assistance in an emergency first aid situation,” states Paula Wickham, CEO of Think Safe – a technology newcomer to the first aid industry that provides not only protocol compliant training products but real-time devices such as the First Voice EID and ResQr iPhone first aid apps.

The recent Macworld review of the ResQr First Aid &  CPR Coach iPhone app by certified American Red Cross CPR/ lifeguard, Lisa Schmeiser, wrote, “iPhone [or iPod Touch] apps provide a handy way to refresh a memory that’s gone blank in the face of an emergency or to provide first-aid knowledge you never thought you’d need… [ResQr First Aid & CPR Coach is an app that] Red Cross card-carriers and rookies alike can appreciate.”

As National Emergency Preparedness Month enters its second week, the goal of every citizen of the United States should be to think about what they are doing to be prepared. Whether it is training, researching and purchasing survival, first aid or other disaster preparedness products the key is to go through the exercise and understand what the risks are and using the resources available through any number of organizations to better protect themselves. The key to preparedness is being prepared.

*www.ready.gov **endorsed by the American Lifeguard Association (www.americanlifeguard.com)

About Think Safe Inc

Think Safe Inc is committed to setting new standards for comprehensive emergency readiness and response. Manufacturing products for complete injury management and providing services that improve access to first aid and CPR training, Think Safe Inc products and services are a good fit for corporate and industrial environments, parks and recreational facilities, schools, convention and sport centers, remote or high-risk locations, and a host of other public gathering places. Think Safe Inc offers its patent pending systems in a variety of models, from a dedicated portable unit to software for computers and mobile devices. A selection of lightweight, portable cases and bags is available to meet various space, use, and environmental needs. For details about Think Safe Inc and its products, call Jen Mittan at 319-377-5125 or visit www.think-safe.com.

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Free Safety Resources from the National Safety Council

It’s National Safety Month is a great opportunity to look at how prepared you are for that random moment when an emergency happens. Do you know what to do? No really, do you? Because if you don’t have a plan set in place that you review and know exactly what to do in case of an emergency – you may be putting you, your friends and/or your loved onces at risk.

But that’s why companies like Think Safe and groups like the National Safety Council (NSC) exist! The NSC has a great resouce online that encourages you to get involved in spreading safety awareness this month:

Your involvement in National Safety Month can help reduce employee injuries on and off the job. Take advantage of materials each week that target some of our nation’s most pressing safety risks.

Check out the free safety posters and safety tips from the NSC