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In recent years, we’ve read the headlines of how people have had their lives saved due to first aid and CPR. Notable cases include Glenn Hoddle’s collapse at the BT Sport studios in 2018 and Christian Eriksen’s near-fatal cardiac arrest during the Euro 2020 competition.
Without the quick intervention of first aid-trained professionals immediately recognising these serious situations, it’s debatable whether these individuals would have survived. This just highlights how vital emergency first aid training is.
Therefore, the speed and accuracy of administering CPR and first aid is everything, and this guide is here to highlight its importance.
Understanding CPR and Cardiac Arrest
CPR stands for cardiopulmonary resuscitation and is one of the most important first aid skills. It’s the one process that most people associate with learning first aid, yet surprisingly few people know how to administer CPR correctly. Also, a lack of confidence in delivering it means that many trained people fail to act when emergencies arise.
The fact is CPR can significantly boost a casualty’s chances of survival if they have suffered cardiac arrest. Cardiac arrest is when the heart stops pumping blood, causing a casualty to lose consciousness, become unresponsive and either breathe abnormally or stop altogether. In these situations, you must always begin CPR.
While CPR is unlikely to restore circulation entirely and help the casualty resume breathing normally, its primary purpose is to keep oxygen flowing around the body and the brain.
Is Cardiac Arrest the Same as a Heart Attack?
Many people confuse cardiac arrest for a heart attack when they are two different bodily reactions.
Heart attacks are when blood flow to the heart is blocked, thus a circulation problem with the coronary arteries. In contrast, cardiac arrest is when the heart suddenly stops beating unexpectedly.
A heart attack could potentially lead to cardiac arrest, but ultimately during a heart attack, the heart does not stop beating, the casualty still breathes and remains conscious.
What Does Administering CPR Do?
CPR consists of chest compressions intended to manually pump the heart and circulate blood around the unconscious person’s body. This is the basis for hands-on CPR, along with ‘rescue breaths’ (which aim to add more oxygen to the blood), and one of the most crucial recovery processes taught in basic first aid training.
The average NHS ambulance service response time is seven minutes, which is enough time for a casualty to suffer permanent brain damage without CPR and oxygen. CPR must be administered as soon as possible to prevent a casualty from suffering long-term permanent neurological damage or death.
If the emergency services take longer than six minutes, it’s crucial that people nearby administer continuous CPR until they arrive, preferably with the help of an AED (automated external defibrillator).
How Can an AED Boost Chances of Survival?
In cases of ventricular fibrillation, the heart ‘quivers’ rather than beats, whereas in pulseless ventricular tachycardia, the heart beats regularly but without pumping blood around the body. These types of cardiac arrest are considered ‘shockable’, meaning that using an AED can restore regular electrical activity to the heart.
The earlier you use an AED, the better chances a casualty has at survival, as it limits the time the brain and organs have gone without oxygenated blood.
AEDs cannot be effective without emergency CPR. CPR is responsible for keeping someone sufficiently oxygenated until their heart is restarted, which can require multiple shocks.
Below are some statistics which highlight how effective both CPR and AEDs are:
- Emergency CPR from bystanders can increase survival by 2-3 times
- Early use of both AEDs and CPR can increase survival by 40%
It’s crucial to ensure more people have first aid training to recognise signs of cardiac arrest, administer CPR, and effectively use an AED. It’s equally vital to ensure they have the confidence to apply this first aid knowledge in real-life situations.
Effectiveness of CPR and AEDs
AEDs cannot be effective without emergency CPR. CPR is responsible for keeping someone sufficiently oxygenated until their heart is restarted, which can require multiple shocks.
Below are some statistics which highlight how effective both CPR and AEDs are:
- Emergency CPR from bystanders can increase survival by 2-3 times
- Early use of both AEDs and CPR can increase survival by 40%
It’s crucial to ensure more people have first aid training to recognise signs of cardiac arrest, administer CPR, and effectively use an AED. It’s equally vital to ensure they have the confidence to apply this first aid knowledge in real-life situations.
Professional First Aid Courses
At Advanced Tactical Resources, we provide a range of first aid and health and safety training courses.
We can provide a 1-day Emergency First Aid at Work course or the full 3-day First Aid at Work course, where we will teach delegates how to deliver first aid and CPR correctly. However, correct use of an AED will only be taught in First Aid at Work training.
Our course is suitable for delegates to meet the requirements of achieving recognised First Aid at Work certificates and the mandatory First Aid at Work requalification.
Our USP is to implement scenario-based learning to reinforce the theory of first aid and help encourage delegates to apply their first aid knowledge in realistic simulation scenarios. These courses include road traffic accidents, trauma injuries, paediatric first aid and many more at our training venue.
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