Learning Basic Life Support (BLS) is a part of every health care provider’s career. Cardiac emergencies are one of the most commonly dealt-with conditions that HCPs face – in and out of a medical setting. Cardiovascular conditions are the leading morbidities in the world, as well as the leading cause of mortality. Therefore, HCPs should be prepared to handle cardiac emergencies in a variety of situations.
Ottawa First Aid is a training provider that offers different cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) training programs, both basic and advanced programs are available for the general public and healthcare providers. Signing up for a program is easy – you can do so below or send us an e-mail or give us a call. Our business hours are from 8 AM to 5 PM; be sure to contact us during those hours so you’re sure to get a reply.
Basic Life Support in Ottawa
In Ottawa First Aid, one of the most popular programs is Basic Life Support training, particularly Basic Life Support for Health Care Providers – also known as CPR Level C. It is a 4.5 hour training program, composed of lectures and laboratory sessions, preparing students for cardiac emergencies outside of a medical set-up. Students are introduced to the Basic Life Support concepts and skills in lectures and are able to practice them during the hands-on laboratory sessions.
A look into the BLS for HCP curriculum will reveal the following topics:
- The Chain of Survival
- 2010 guidelines for CPR and Emergency Cardiovascular Care (ECC)
- Basic skills in compressions, ventilation, and defibrillation
- Choking emergency management (adults and pediatric victims)
- Difference between CPR for adults, infants, and young children
- CPR for patients with advanced airways
Basic Life Support for Health Care Providers has an available re-certification class which runs for 4 hours. All certificates expire after three years.
The Chain of Survival
The basis of all CPR training programs is the Chain of Survival. It is a concept used to outline the steps taken when managing a cardiac emergency.
- Recognition of cardiac arrest
- Early chest compressions and ventilatons – 1 cycle is composed of 30 chest compressions followed by two rescue breaths; repeat until victim is given medical help or is brought to the hospital
- Early Defibrillation
- Advanced cardiac management
- Post-cardiac arrest care
Recognizing Cardiac Arrest
No matter how basic the CPR program is, Ottawa First Aid teaches its students how to recognize a victim of a cardiac emergency. Cardiac arrest is easy to identify – with or without prior symptoms. A person who has had a heart attack will usually be pulseless and not breathing at all (or breathing very irregularly). It is important to identify these two major symptoms first then immediately begin CPR (after calling for help).
The symptoms of a cardiac problem usually manifest are soon as minutes or hours before the attack, to as long as months. Symptoms can include some if not all of the following:
- Chest pain, which worsens with activity
- Shortness of breath, again which worsens with activity
- Decreasing level of consciousness
- High blood pressure (which can manifest as chest and nape pain)