DECEMBER CLASSES ARE NOW LISTED.  SIGN UP NOW FOR MINNESOTA CPR TRAINING!!  Don’t see one you can fit into?  Call us.

Searching got you down?   Look on the bright side, you’ve come to the right place for your training needs!

Our next First Responder course is starting February 14th! sign up today.

December

 AEDs for Infants?  Clarifying AHA/AAP Recommendations

Question, IF Ventricular fibrillation in patients less than 1 yr old is only 3% reported from the Swedish Cardiac Arrest Registry, why would we take the risk of using an AED made with the electrical load for a pediatric patient over 1 yr. old?  Are you for or against, Let us know.  Read further……

FavorS: Use of AED for infants under 1 yr. old: AED will not advise shock unless a shockable rythm is identified

Infants with Ventricular Fibrillation or pulseless ventricular tachycardia may benefit, and are unlikely to survive without defibrillation.

OpposeS: Safety of energy doses for children under 10 KG wht has not been established; potential for heart injury if adult energy doses used.

Application of AED and rhythm analyses may interrupt or delay efforts at effective CPR.

Read more on this subject in Currents Volume 19!  www.americanheart.org/cpr

Let us know what you think, give us your comments below!

PUT YOUR CAR KEYS BESIDE YOUR BED AT NIGHT

Put your car keys beside your bed at night. If you hear a noise outside your home or someone trying to get in your house, just press the panic button for your car. The alarm will be set off, and the horn will continue to sound until either you turn it off or the car battery dies.

This tip came from a neighborhood watch coordinator. Next time you come home for the night and you start to put your keys away, think of this: It’s a security alarm system that you probably already have and requires no installation. Test it. It will go off from just about anywhere inside your house and will keep honking until your battery runs down or until you reset it with the button on the key fob chain.

If your car alarm goes off when someone is trying to break in your house, odds are the intruder won’t stick around… after a few seconds neighbors will be looking out their windows to see who is out there and and criminal won’t want that.
And remember to carry your keys while walking to your car in a parking lot. The alarm can work the same way there…..
This is something that should really be shared with everyone. It could save a life or a sexual abuse crime.

It would also be useful for any emergency, such as a heart attack, when you are in trouble and can’t reach a phone to call 911.  A wife suggested to her husband to carry his car keys with him in case he falls outside and she doesn’t hear him. He can activate the car alarm and then she’ll know there’s a problem.

Can you think of any ways that your car alarm can save you or someone?  E-mail me and let me know, I will post it here!

Thank you to Rachel at Heartnsouleos.com for this great advise!

Stay safe and happy,

Shannon Madden

Lets talk Stroke!

Promptly recognizing stroke signs and symptoms and seeking help immediately can mean the defference between life, death or disability. 

According to the CDC, the five warning symptoms of a stroke are:

Sudden weakness or numbness of the arms, legs, or face, especially on one side. 

Sudden vision problems in one or both eyes.

Sudden Dizziness, loss of balance or coordination, difficulty walking.

Sudden confusion or trouble speaking.

Sudden sever headache with no known cause.

When surveyed, most respondents knew that sudden numbness on one side was a stroke symptom.  However, only 60.4% knew that a svere headache with no known cause was a symptom.  Less than half surveyed could identify all five stroke warning symptoms!

In Minnesota, residents appeared to be the most stroke savvy, topping the list of the most informed across several categories.  They were more likely to say they’d call 911 if they even thought someone was having a heart attach of stroke compared to those in other areas of the United States.  Now that’s something to be proud of.

The above clips are from our affiliate 

The American Heart Association

In the summer issue of Currents, there are several stories about a positive outcome from performing CPR outside the workplace environment.  One group were musicians from Louisiana, another was an AED team from Mesquite High School, Texas.  In Columbus, Ohio a grocery chain employee and another bystander lended aid to a heart attack victim.  I’m sure there are many more.  Lets give them praise.

Emphasis on citizen training is an vital part of our educational commitment.  We just don’t know when or where we will need to use our skills.  This is why it is so important to keep your training up to date, take a Minnesota CPR class now, gain knowledge, save a life.  It will be the most rewarding class you’ve ever taken!

In order to restore a normal heartbeat, an electrical shock must be delivered to the heart. This is called defibrillation. The shock itself doesn’t switch the heart back on - it’s not like flipping a tripped circuit breaker. Instead, defibrillation actually stops the heart briefly! This gives the heart’s pacemaker a chance to re-establish a normal heartbeat like you and I have.           

So why do CPR Minnesota? Because the bottom line is that CPR is an important part of the complete cardiac emergency picture. Defibrillation requires special equipment that has to be brought to the patient, and CPR can keep a patient oxygenated until a defibrillator arrives. When CPR is started within 4 minutes and defibrillation within 8 minutes of an attack, the survival rate increases dramatically. REMEMBER! The sooner, the better.  Rapid access to emergency care local 911 professionals using life saving IV access and intubation with advanced life support equipment also adds to the survival rate. We have a great Emergency Medical System in Minnesota, don’t you want to be part of the Link to survival?

Join our CPR Class Minnesota!  Learn about fibrillation and Defibrillation now.