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What Equipment Is Used For CPR
Sometimes the heart stops pumping blood unexpectedly, resulting in sudden cardiac arrest. The symptoms include sudden fall and an instant loss of consciousness, and it can happen to anybody at any moment.
Keeping the safety of the public in mind, almost every public space, including workplaces, schools, malls, grocery shops, and airports, now has CPR and First Aid Equipment to be used in case of an emergency. Furthermore, there is specific course of action an individual can undertake to provide Resuscitation care.
Automated Defibrillators (AED)
An AED system consists of the device as well as all required add-ons, including a battery, pad electrodes, and an adaptor if necessary. Users of the AED receive vocal instructions.
How Do AEDs Work?
- The user activates the AED and listens to the voice instructions. Some AEDs automatically switch on when their cover is opened.
- The person who performs CPR sticks two sticky pads with sensors (referred to as electrodes) on the chest of the person who is experiencing cardiac arrest.
- The AED’s processor receives data from the electrodes about the patient’s heart rhythm and analyses it to determine whether an electric shock is necessary.
- The AED employs voice cues to tell the user when to press a button to give a defibrillation shock if one is required.
- Some AEDs have voice cues that indicate when a shock is about to be administered, and the AED conducts the shock on its own without user input.
Learn How To Use AED
Although AEDs are not difficult to use, training regarding their use is strongly advised. Numerous significant health institutions provide this training along with CPR training.
You can learn in courses how to spot the warning indications of a sudden cardiac arrest, when to call for emergency medical help, how to perform CPR, and how to use an AED.
Equipment For Airway Management
The minimal level required is the expired air ventilation, which should be carried out using a pocket mask with a one-way valve to stop patient secretions from getting to the rescuer. The pocket mask is the only simple airway barrier that allows for as good ventilation, and several of them significantly reduce lung expansion.
When using a device like the oro-pharyngeal airway (Guedel airway), it may be necessary to keep a variety of sizes on hand. Those with the appropriate training may use the laryngeal mask airway (LMA) more frequently to control unconscious individuals’ airways outside of a hospital setting.
Advanced Airway Techniques
Only individuals who have received full training are qualified to perform tracheal intubation and other specialized airway techniques. Advanced airway techniques is considered one of the critical component of every first responder.
Oxygen Cylinders
The use of oxygen cylinders while performing CPR is emphasised by the Australian Resuscitation Council (ARC). National safety regulations should be fulfilled, and oxygen cylinder maintenance should be done properly. There should be policies in place at every organization that permit non-medical workers to deliver high-flow oxygen in certain situations, such as cardiac arrest.
Suction Devices
With equipment that is expected to be little used, the need for batteries is a drawback. Similarly to this, the requirement for electricity significantly raises the price and limits where the device can be utilised. These factors lead to the recommendation of basic, mechanical, portable, small suction devices.
Consider The Proper Procedure Before Performing Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation
It’s essential to understand how to perform CPR, how to operate an AED, and which one to use in every circumstance. Call 911, start CPR, and use an AED to restart someone’s heart if you witness them collapse abruptly and they are not breathing.
So The Question Is, Does CPR Require Special Equipment And Tools?
No, CPR can be performed without any equipment as well. Sometimes an accident can occur in the middle of nowhere, and it is important to be equipped with appropriate information on how to perform CPR in case there is no professionally trained personnel or equipment nearby.
- Hands-Only CPR: Where you give 100-120 compressions every minute.
- Mouth-To-Mouth CPR (Rescue Breathing): In this approach, you follow the thumb rule of performing CPR in a 30:2 ratio. That means 30 compressions followed by two breaths. Generally, five sets of these compressions are performed every two minutes.
Both these techniques of performing CPR ensure improved survival