August, 2007 e-News Update
This issue's QuickTips
CPR - Why It's SoImportant To Know
Summertime Tips Is Your First Aid KitUp To Date?
CPR Tip
Did you know that about 75-80% of all out-of-hospital cardiac arrests happen at home? So, being trained to perform CPR can mean the difference between life and death for a loved one.
Approximately 900 Americans die every day due to sudden cardiac arrest. Immediate and effective CPR provided by a bystander can as much as double the chances of survival.
Learn CPR
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Summertime Tips
It’s summer and that means bee stings. Have bee sting relief gel in your first aid kits and if you have a known allergy, be sure your EpiPen® or bee sting kit has not expired. To treat a bee sting, remove yourself and/or the person you are assisting to a safe environment, gently remove the stinger by scraping it off the skin with a credit card or other rigid material. Do not use your fingers. Bee sting relief gel and ice can relieve the pain of the sting. If the victim begins to exhibit signs of difficulty breathing, severe swelling, hives, nausea or dizziness, call 9-1-1 without delay. Heat related problems are also a common concern during these summer months. Below is some important information you should know.- Watch for muscle cramping, this is the first sign that your body is too hot and needs to be cooled and hydrated.
- Cramps lead to heat exhaustion, which is characterized by fatigue.
- Heat exhaustion then deteriorates into the life threatening condition known as heat stroke.
In the event that heat exhaustion or heat stroke is immenent, emergency action must be taken. Remove yourself and/or the person you are assisting to a cool environment, cool their body by removing clothing and dousing with cool water. If the victim can hold a cup and drink on their own, encourage them to have some cool water.
TOP Is your First Aid Kit Up To Date?
When was the last time you restocked your first aid kit? Do you know what should be in it? Even more important, do you know how to correctly use all the supplies located in the first aid kit?
Your first aid kit should serve many purposes: it should assist in the management of small, superficial injuries, such as a paper cut; as well as more emergent injuries, such as a laceration to the forearm, bee sting, or the need to provide CPR. Additionally, your kit should be a good fit for your facility. The amount and type of supplies your kit contains will vary upon workplace or home; number of employees or family members; and type of industry: commercial, industrial, etc. Click here for a comprehensive offering of basic first aid kits and supplies.
If you’re scratching your head, perhaps its time to refresh your basic first aid and CPR skills by participating in our Heartsaver First Aid and Heartsaver CPR courses. Subject matter experts are standing by to answer any questions and assist you in building the proper kit for your needs. Contact MediTech, LLC today.
TOP Check out MyPlaceToLearn's entire catalog of books and other materials for trainers and learners.
This month's items of Interest:
Featured Presenter & Contributor:
Breanne Morton, BSEd, EMT
Safety Consultant & Instructor
Featured Self-Paced Courses:
·First Aid Training
·Heartsaver CPR
Featured Articles:
·CPR: Saving The Quality of Life
·Best Practices Guide: Fundamentals of a
Workplace First-Aid Program
·How to Plan For Workplace Emergency
and Evacuations
Coming in September:
Christopher Novak
Tips on Inspiration and Conquering
Adversity
More MyPlaceToLearn's Products
& Services: www.MyPlaceToLearn.com
Breanne Morton
Breanne has recently expanded her course offering with the addition of five new training topics, including: Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support (ACLS), Basic Life Support (BLS) for Healthcare Providers, AED, Disaster Preparedness, and Emergency Preparedness. A consulting division, employing subject matter experts is one of the many items in MediTech's list of ancillary services. The creation of several online self-paced training programs is Breanne's latest effort to make safety and emergency response training accessible and economical for everyone. Learn more
Click here to learn more about Breanne's
online courses
MyPlaceToLearn's Speaker's Bureau
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Heartsaver First Aid Training
First Aid training includes instruction on recognizing the signs and symptoms of sudden illness and injury, and how to respond while maintaining your own safety. The training covers splinting fractures, control of bleeding, treatment of shock, as well as other emergency situations encountered by rescuers every day. The information provided in this training is vital to anyone with an interest in learning the most updated first aid techniques and standards, as well as those who have a reasonable probability of encountering a person in need of first aid. Click here to learn more and register.
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Heartsaver CPR
Basic CPR utilizes American Heart Association curriculum which covers Adult, Child and Infant CPR and the relief of a foreign body airway obstruction. The information provided in this training is vital to anyone with an interest in learning the most updated techniques, as well as those who have a reasonable probability of witnessing sudden cardiac arrest or choking. Upon successful completion of online training, each participant will be required to schedule a skills assessment with MediTech, LLC or an American Heart Association Training Center. Following successful completion of the skills assessment, each participant will be given an American Heart Association Heartsaver CPR Provider card, valid for 2 years. Click here to learn more and register.
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CPR: Saving The Quality of Life
There’s a general misconception that providing CPR to a victim of cardiac arrest will resuscitate them immediately. When, in fact, CPR does not, statistically speaking, resuscitate most victims. So, you may be asking yourself, why do CPR at all? The answer is easy; CPR saves the quality of life.
When CPR is performed correctly, it assists the body in circulating oxygenated blood, which will keep vital organs and the brain alive. Thus, CPR can be looked at as a life sustaining practice, not a life saving practice. CPR done at the initial time of cardiac arrest will yield the highest resuscitation rates in victims of cardiac arrest when performed in conjunction with the use of an AED and advanced medical interventions provided by EMS and hospital personnel. That is to say, without CPR, the use of an AED is not nearly as effective and advanced medical interventions will likely be for not. You see, with every minute that passes after the initial time of cardiac arrest, the victim’s chances of being resuscitated drop 7-10%¹. Thus, it is vital to begin CPR right away, or no other interventions will be effective. Likewise, in the resuscitated victim where CPR was performed right away, their chances of prolonged survival increase and their quality of life will remain mostly unchanged thanks to oxygen reaching the brain.
The best survival outcomes occur when CPR is performed immediately and accurately in conjunction with the use of an AED during the time when EMS personnel are en route. Learn more about how one community in Illinois increased their odds by reading page 5 of, American Heart Association Volunteers Help: “Save a Heart, Save a Life.”
¹ American Heart Association, CPR Statistics, 2006
Best Practices Guide: Fundamentals of a
Workplace First-Aid Program
Click here to download article(PDF)
How to Plan For Workplace Emergency
and Evacuations
Click here to download article (PDF)
Need training and/or assistance in creating a preparedness plan? Contact MediTech, LLC today.
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