Basic Life Awareness

INTRODUCTION

Basic Life Support (BLS) includes recognition of signs of sudden cardiac arrest (SCA), heart attack, stroke and foreign-body airway obstruction Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR); and defibrillation with an automated external defibrillator (AED).It is very important that every person in the community know about Basic Life Support to save lives and improve the quality of community health. At least the doctors, nursing and paramedical staff are expected to know about it, as they are frequently facing life threatening situations and the knowledge of BLS will be definitely useful. In this study we wanted to investigate the awareness of Basic Life Support among various health sector persons. Aim to study the awareness of Basic Life

History has shown that sometimes an individual in or nearing cardiac arrest may gasp or exhibit significantly abnormal breathing either of which is insufficient to sustain them. That breathing has been mistaken by bystanders as sufficient and CPR was delayed until professional responders arrived. The new guidelines stress the importance of recognizing the signs of cardiac arrest and taking action rapidly.

In the past the process of assessing and rendering aid started with addressing the patient’s Airway, then their Breathing, and finally their Circulation giving rise to the ABC approach. The current process still incorporates those three elements, but in the order of CAB Circulation, then Airway, and then Breathing (Figure # 01). Addressing a lack of circulation through compressions is more important initially than addressing airway or breathing. The AHA estimates that the change only delays breathing for a patient by 18 seconds, but dramatically improves how soon compressions start. Now someone immediately provides thirty chest compressions, then tilts the head to open the airway, then gives two breaths. The current guidelines have removed the practice called Cricoid Pressure which involved a rescuer applying pressure to the patient’s windpipe while breathing for them with the hope of decreasing the amount of air that entered the stomach. Research

If the victim is not responding to rescuers and does not appear to be breathing normally, CPR should be started.

• CPR begins with compressions delivered hard and fast in the middle of the victim’s chest. The rescuer should place the heel of one hand on the center of the victim’s chest and the other hand right on top of the first with fingers intertwined.

• Each compression should be at least 2” deep and delivered at a rate of at least 100/minute. After giving 30 compressions a rescuer who is able to breathe for the victim should do so. If a rescuer is unable to breathe for the victim they should provide continuous high quality compressions until professional rescuers arrive.

• Breaths for the victim start by adjusting their airway. Tilt the victim’s head by the forehead back and lifting the chin to open the airway. Pinch shut the victim’s nose using the forefinger and thumb.

• Each breath given to the victim should be a normal breath for the rescuer and delivered over 1 second while looking for the victim’s chest to rise.

• A total of two breaths should be given to the patient and then the rescuer should immediately start chest compressions