LIFE SAVING TECHNIQUES

AED......

Today we are going to talk about something everybody should know.....First aid and CPR (Cardio pulmonary resuscitation).

Ever since I could remember I wanted to be in Red cross and all through secondary school and university I wished we had a Red cross society but it apparently wasn't so (or I didn't know when the societies had their meeting).

Anyway when I was in NYSC camp I tried to join but as I was the chief pharmacist and had only one other pharmacist working in the camp clinic I was told by the Clinic head that I won't have time to join the society. And she was right, I could barely have time to relax let alone join the corp red cross society.


But I still hope I would be able to do so one day. Anyway during the course of my post graduate lectures we were taught first aid but as with all lectures it is all theory and no practical training......very annoying.

I recently read on use of CPR to save lives. I never understood why almost all the time people collapse and they never make it. But lately I have come to understand that the human brain cannot survive for more than 4 mins without oxygen. And that is why most people don't survive.

In Nigeria if someone collapses people scream and try to fan the person and we have a bad emergency medical service. And to make matters worse, I can say that about 70% of us don't know how to perform CPR (me inclusive).

While conducting CPR someone else should be setting up a defibrillator if it is available. But you can also imagine that most public places and hospital wards don't have one even a portable one. I keep trying to remember if I have ever seen one in most of the wards in the hospital I work in and I keep coming up blank. I can't seem to recall seeing one. Maybe it is in a cupboard in the wards or something.

I read about two articles where the use of a defibrillator and people who knew CPR saved the lives of people in a plane and a train station. I just imagined if it was Nigerian bound plane or train station, what would have happened. I wondered why it is not made mandatory for public places and offices in Nigeria to have one. But when I checked the cost online, I knew why. Some cost as much as $8000, the least was about $2000. That is really a lot of money.

Personally I am going to be on the lookout for first aid training courses and hopefully it won't cost that much because God willing I am enrolling for one this year. I hope to be a first aider this year. So why don't you join me? Who knows you might save a life.

Here are pictures on defibrillators...

People performing CPR and using the defibrillator

Here is a description of how a defribillator works....

How it works

1. When turned on, the AED will instruct the user to connect the pads to the person’s bare chest.All clothing should be removed, including undergarments (especially underwired bras) because these can interfere with the electrical signal. The pads allow the AED to examine their heart and determine if they require a shock.

2. If the device determines a shock is required, it will charge up in preparation to deliver a shock. The AED is completely safe as it will only deliver a charge when it determines a shockable rhythm is present.

3. When charged, the device instructs the person to ensure no one is touching the victim and then to press a button to deliver the shock.

4. In the case of a fully automatic AED the unit will advise the user that it will deliver the shock without further intervention.

5. When the shock is delivered, the device will instruct the user to begin CPR (Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation) for a period, after which it will analyse the heart rhythm once again, advising whether a further shock or more CPR is needed.

Source: defibssavelives.org
I would try to upload a very cute video on how to use a defibrillator and what to do in an emergency.

That is all for now folks. Thanks for stopping by...

Luv ya,
Petite Diva