Ottawa First Aid offers CPR/AED training courses to properly treat a person who suffered from Angina. Candidates enrolled in either emergency or standard first aid training will learn to recognize and respond to victims of cardiac emergencies such as Angina. Participants will learn to effectively and quickly recognize victims of cardiovascular emergencies.
Pain or pressure that one may experience when the heart is not getting sufficient oxygen it requires. Angina is not as serious as a heart attack as it does not create any damage to the heart muscle and has similar signs/symptoms but pain lasts less than 10 minutes and goes away if the person rests. Angina needs to be diagnosed by a professional doctor so as a first aider you are unable to determine the difference between angina and heart attack. Therefore, ask the person to rest comfortably and advise them to take nitroglycerin/ASA. Monitor the person and their condition and call EMS/9-1-1 and advise them what drugs have been administered. Cardiac arrest is a different scenario as they are unconscious, not breathing and no signs of HCP. If you check ABC’s then you will find signs/symptoms of cardiac arrest. As a result, start CPR immediately.
Clinical death is when heart stops and is reversible. Biological death is when brain dies (4-6 minutes after heart stops beating) and is irreversible. If cardiac arrest occurs outside a hospital the survival rate is low therefore using AED and access to advanced cardiac care is highly advisable for higher chances of survival. CPR is known as cardiopulmonary resuscitation that combines breathing and chest compression to keep oxygen-rich blood circulating throughout the body. You are essentially the heart and lungs for this individual.
An AED is known as an automated external defibrillation and is a battery operated, portable device that is able to analyze a person’s heartbeat through large electrodes that are put on a person’s chest then connected to the AED by cables. The AED can analyze the heart rhythm and then determine if a shock is required to restart a normal heart rhythm. First Aid Ottawa offers its students the ability to properly administer CPR and AED through workplace approved training/courses at reasonable rates.