Due to recent incidents at sporting events and schools, there has been increased attention on CPR training. During health emergencies, performing CPR on an individual suffering from cardiac arrest could be the difference between life and death. According to the National Lung, Heart, and Blood Institute, there are around 300,000 to 450,000 deaths caused by cardiac arrest in the US every year.

 

The process to perform general CPR due to a cardiac arrest emergency is straightforward. Check to see if the individual is responsive and confirm that the surrounding area is safe. Call 911 immediately or have a bystander call for help. The individual should be on a flat surface, with their body and head in a neutral, laying position. Perpendicular to the chest of the individual, place your palm on the center of their chest, while interlacing your other hand on top. While positioning on your knees, stack your shoulder joints directly over your wrist joints with locked elbows for optimal compressions that will push the chest inward, about two inches deep, in a quick, constant rate until medical professionals arrive.

 

Men vs Women

It may come as a surprise that women are not only less likely to have CPR performed on them, but they are also found to have lower rates of survival than men, even when CPR is performed. According to the American Heart Association, the factors that play into this difference include fears of accusations relating to sexual assault or sexual harassment, fears of causing physical harm to the female receiving CPR, or the person administering CPR may feel uncomfortable or unsure working near breasts.

 

Most manikins that people train with are modeled after men’s anatomy. However, in recent years, models and attachments have been created to mimic female anatomy, such as School Health’s PRESTAN Female Accessory. This creates a more accurately designed manikin and allows for an individual to practice performing CPR in a more realistic situation.

 

Infants, Toddlers, Adults

Differences in CPR application do not end there. CPR can be performed on all individuals to continuously help pump blood through the body, but certain individuals require different techniques.

 

CPR is taught using the two-hand method, however, if the individual suffering a cardiac arrest emergency is not an adult, different styles of CPR may be used instead. A toddler or child would usually not require the full force of two adult hands. For a smaller child or toddler, a one-hand method can be used to provide CPR. This is similar to the regular CPR method, but without the second, overlaying hand. For an infant, a two-finger or two-thumb method may be used to compress the chest, so as not to hurt the newborn.

 

Results

Performing CPR on an individual can double, or even triple, their chances of survival if administered immediately. It is important to perform CPR correctly on both men and women to give each a better chance at survival. While a child or infant may have a lower chance of a cardiac arrest emergency that requires CPR, giving those individuals a higher chance of survival matters, too. Every second counts!

 

 

 

 

References

https://cpr.heart.org/en/resources/cpr-facts-and-stats

https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/circ.142.suppl_4.139

https://www.heart.org/en/news/2020/11/23/why-people-fear-performing-cpr-on-women-and-what-to-do-about-it

https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/cardiac-arrest

https://www.redcross.org/take-a-class/cpr/performing-cpr/child-baby-cpr

When we think about cardiac arrest, we tend to associate it with older adults who suffer from a preexisting condition.However, pre-COVID-19, more than 7,000 children experienceda cardiac arrest event outside of the hospital each year. to Mayo Clinic, some of the reasons that sudden cardiac death occurs in young people are hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, coronary artery abnormalities and Long QT syndrome. Myocarditis, or inflammation of the heart, is also a concern for both age groups, causing about 75 deaths per year in teens and young adults ages 13-25. Oftentimes, people with this condition do not experience symptoms and never get properly diagnosed. Although they are an active group of people, young athletesare at an especially high risk for myocarditis and should be screened often to prevent an undetected diagnosis that could lead to sudden death.

The Effects of COVID-19 on Children and Young Adults

Even though COVID-19 has been around for about a year, it is a still a very new virus and many of its effects on young people’s health are still being studied. With new research and scientific advancements, physicians and scientists are starting to discover the virus’ potentially lingering impact.

According to the American Association for the Advancement of Science, during the first wave of COVID-19, cases of multisystem inflammatory syndrome (MIS-C), or Kawasaki-like disease, were observed in more than 1,000 children and adolescents. The illness includes a constellation of symptoms such as gastrointestinal symptoms, rash and conjunctival inflammation. These features, including signs of myocarditis, were confirmed in a lab by elevated markers of inflammation.

In another study that aimed to explore the effects of COVID-19 on student athletes and their cardiac health, JAMA and the Ohio State University tested 26 students who had previously had the virus and were either asymptomatic, or exhibited mild symptoms. These athletes participated in various sports including football, soccer, basketball, lacrosse and track. Through this study, researchers discovered that 30% of the tested students had heart damage, and 15% showed signs of myocarditis.

As students head back to school and sports, staying up to date with cardiac and COVID-19 research is key to ensuring that school personnel are prepared to help students in case of a cardiac event. Of course, having proper and well-maintained medical equipment like AEDs and resuscitation devices is also very important, especially if there is continued evidence that the virus can cause heart problems. According to the American Heart Association, children treated by an AED had a survival rate of 29.1%, versus a 23.7% survival rate of children who were not.  

Despite concerns about contracting the virus and its effects, it is still crucial for parents to take their children to regular physicals and wellness checks. A recent study showed that 70- 80% of American children are missing their appointments because of the fear of being exposed to COVID-19 at the doctor’s office. Missed visits to the pediatrician can cause long-term problems because of delayed detection and diagnosis of chronic illnesses, or delayed treatment for common diseases.

Maintaining a child’s health through regular doctor visits, having an adequate number of AEDs and emergency equipment, and proper CPR training, will allow students to safely participate in physical activities in and out of the classroom. Even with COVID-19 and other health concerns, children and young adults need physical activity that can raise their heart rate and foster a healthy, active overall .

5 Tips for a Healthy Heart Get at least 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise a day Establish and maintain a healthy diet Stay away from smoking and alcohol Manage your stress in a healthy way, like doing breathing and mediation exercises Get 7-8 hours of sleep at night

 

Visit our website and check out our selection of AEDs and accessories here. 

 

 

References:

https://www.ucsf.edu/magazine/covid-hearts

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamacardiology/fullarticle/2770645

https://www.myocarditisfoundation.org/about-myocarditis/

https://www.fox2detroit.com/news/ohio-state-study-30-of-student-athletes-have-heart-damage-linked-to-covid-19

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/sudden-cardiac-arrest/in-depth/sudden-death/art-20047571

https://www.heart.org/idc/groups/heart-public/@wcm/@fdr/documents/downloadable/ucm_445071.pdf

https://www.heart.org/en/news/2018/11/09/defibrillators-may-help-kids-survive-cardiac-arrest

https://abc7chicago.com/coronavirus-children-kids-pandemic-american-academy-of-pediatrics/6125716/#:~:text=Health%20%26%20Fitness-,Majority%20of%20kids%20skipping%20doctor's,COVID%2D19%20pandemic%2C%20study%20finds&text=A%20recent%20study%20estimates%20American,80%25%20of%20scheduled%20pediatric%20appointments.

https://science.sciencemag.org/content/370/6514/286

https://health.gov/myhealthfinder/topics/health-conditions/heart-health/keep-your-heart-healthy#panel-7

https://health.clevelandclinic.org/5-things-to-do-every-day-to-keep-your-heart-healthy/ 

Is Your Campus Prepared for a Cardiac Emergency?

Each year, more than 350,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests occur in the United States. Cardiac arrest is an electrical malfunction in the heart that causes an irregular heartbeat (arrhythmia) and disrupts the flow of blood to the brain, lungs and other organs.

Survival stats are grim. Over 70 percent of cardiac arrests happen outside of the hospital, which means this can happen anywhere - at home, at work, or even in an educational setting. About 90 percent of people who suffer out-of-hospital cardiac arrests die. And while CPR, especially if performed in the first few minutes of cardiac arrest, can double or triple a person’s chance of survival, only about 46% of people who experience an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest get the immediate help that they need before professional help arrives.

Students play in integral part in increasing survival from cardiac arrest. Currently, 31 states require CPR training, including hands on practice on a manikin, as a high school graduation requirement. As of result of this legislation, approximately 1.8 million students (nearly 60 percent of the U.S. student population) are trained each year in the lifesaving skill of CPR.

Being prepared and confident to respond requires keeping skills as fresh as possible. That’s why the American Heart Association recommends receiving CPR training every two years and why it is currently exploring ways to bridge the gap between mandatory high school training and university-level courses.

Since the needs of university level students differ greatly from the needs of middle or high school students, the American Heart Association has introduced the brand new CPR in Schools University Toolkit. The toolkit consists of free resources for event activation, promotion, and social media resources for student athletes, members of a Greek organizations, resident assistants, student government officers, club members, among others. These resources provide everything needed to plan, organize and execute a CPR training event for students on campus.

Bring CPR Training to Your Campus with AHA's CPR in Schools Training Kit

The AHA’s CPR in Schools Training Kit is an all-in-one educational program that provides an opportunity for college students to bring Hands-Only CPR training to their campuses. Hands-Only CPR is CPR without mouth-to-mouth breaths. It is the recommended approach for anyone who has not been trained by a credentialed instructor who sees a teen or adult suddenly collapse in an out-of-hospital setting.

This kit allows college students to facilitate Hands-Only CPR trainings with their fellow students and spread the message of Hands-Only CPR. In this leadership role, students teach other students how to save lives.

The training kit comes complete with support from the American Heart Association, the trusted leader in heart health. These kits are easy to use, durable, and are designed to train 10 -20 people at once. The kit is also reusable, so one kit can train hundreds of people. Plus, you do not need to be an AHA instructor which is why thousands of high schools and middle schools throughout the country are currently using these kits. The kit can also be used to train campus faculty, staff and community members to extend the lifesaving skills into the community.

Students learn so much in college, but it’s also important to continue the skills they learned in high school. Please share this with friends and family to make students aware that they can become a part of the generation of lifesavers and help save a life with CPR.