November is CPR Month

While watching TV Joe suddenly begins to have an excruciating pain in his chest. He turns to his wife of 23 years and says “Martha I think I’m having …” and his voice trails off. Joe slumps over on the couch just as Martha walks into the living room. “Oh my gosh, Joe what’s wrong,” as she frantically tries to wake him. Grabbing the cordless phone, she dials 9-1-1 and is transferred to the emergency medical dispatcher. “Paramedics are on the way,” a calm voice tries to reassure Martha. “Do you know how to do CPR,” the voice asks?

Too often the situation described above occurs in living rooms across our province. Most cardiac arrests will happen at home to someone you know such as a spouse or grandparent. For those situations that happen in public places such as a workplace having trained rescuers is not only important it’s good business. During the month of November Parkland Ambulance will be promoting CPR and encouraging everyone to take a course. You can learn a skill which when used may save the life of someone you know or give a stranger or fellow co-worker a chance to enjoy life in a brand new way.

Performing CPR is simple and very easy. If you don’t do something things may not get any better. Without your help this person may never be awake again. IF you find someone who is not awake, not breathing or not breathing normally follow these simple steps.

• Call 9-1-1 and get paramedics coming fast. If you think there is an AED nearby send someone to get the AED.
• Get the person on a hard, flat surface, face up and remove bulky clothing like a coat
• Put one of your hands on the center of their chest, place your other hand on top of the first hand, begin pushing down hard and fast
• When the AED arrives, turn it on and follow the voice prompts on the device.

A cardiac arrest is a very sudden medical event. Sometimes other warning signs occur prior. When sudden illness does strike your prompt action can mean the difference between life and death. Recognize these symptoms of a possible heart attack and the need to take immediate action:

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• Heavy squeezing chest pain
• Nausea or vomiting
• Dizziness
• Pale, moist skin
• Denial – that this can not be happening to you

If you or someone you are with experiences any or all of these symptoms immediately stop all activity, rest, take any prescribed medications and dial 9-1-1.  The paramedics of Parkland Ambulance Care will respond quickly to your emergency.

If the person suddenly loses consciousness and is not breathing, CPR must be started immediately. If the public or work place has an automated external defibrillator (AED) send someone to get it. Follow the instructions of the machine or from the trained bystanders to use the AED effectively. Early CPR combined with Early Defibrillation followed up by rapid paramedic response will save lives. If you did nothing, for every minute that person was left lying on the floor not breathing and with no pulse their chance of survival decreases by 7-10%.

Knowing what to do is very simple and someone’s life depends on your prompt actions. In a formal setting CPR can be learned in a very short amount of time. Call us at 306-953-8350 for an upcoming class. Be safe and stay healthy!