One
A man collapsed in the airport some time ago. He simply fell to the floor unconscious. People gathered round him and some started praying. Some people were praying for the departed soul and some were praying for a miracle.
Suddenly, a nurse forced her way through the crowd to the man and knelt beside him. Within a few seconds she assessed him and started cardiac massage (basic life support). She did mouth to mouth resuscitation (kiss of life) and worked on him while the crowd watched. The man woke up after a while and was breathing and moving on his own.
Two
More recently, a woman collapsed at the burial ground. Her brother was being buried! One supposes that the emotional turmoil was too much pressure for her heart to bear and she fell down, unconscious. Luckily, a nurse was again on hand to do the needful (basic life support). The nurse started resuscitation and this woman woke up. She was then taken to the hospital for review and checkup.
The problem is that people can collapse and stop breathing at any time. This can happen to a friend, colleague, family member, or even the stranger at the airport as narrated above. What is required though is for a sensible head to evaluate the situation and swing into action. This calm, prompt action is what saves lives. The nurses who were privileged to be at the scene of the collapses did a phenomenal job in bringing the people back to life. They were able to save lives because they had the skills to perform life support. This is the main difference between the nurses and the bystanders shouting, ‘Blood of Jesus’!
Learn basic life support
Basic life support is the ability to save the lives of another human being by helping them to breath if they stop breathing and helping their heart to pump blood around the body if the heart has stopped working.
Basic life support is the foundation for saving lives after the heart has stopped (cardiac arrest). It is important for everyone to learn the skills to resuscitate victims of all ages. This will enable you to identify a cardiac arrest, activate emergency response early and respond actively and confidently. The reason that people stand praying or making wrong decisions, giving wrong advice when someone collapses, is the lack of knowledge and skill.
Despite the important advances in prevention, sudden cardiac arrest remains a leading cause of death. Many occur at home and many are not witnessed. In this regard, people are found to have either died in their sleep or just found collapsed and dead in the house.
Very few people with cardiac arrest outside the walls of a hospital survive. The chances are better if the cardiac arrest is discovered early and efforts made to save the life of the victim. Everyone and especially all healthcare personnel should learn basic life support. Hospitals should make it mandatory for their staff and companies should train staff members in this skill.
The training
In case, someone collapses in front of you, give them a firm shake and ask if they are alright. Then check their pulse and breathing. This will enable you to recognize that they are in cardiac arrest because, they are unresponsive, with no breathing and no pulse. Immediately, you should activate emergency response by shouting for help. This will bring in other people who can assist you in the life saving techniques.
The life saving techniques are basically cardiac massage and mouth to mouth resuscitation. However, the presence of mind, confidence and the ability to impact on the lives of others is already within us all. It simply needs to be harnessed through training.
Dr Hassan Adelakun is a certified trainer and conducts the training to the exacting standards recommended by the American Heart Association. The training lasts a few hours and a certificate of proficiency is given at the end of the day. Call him up on 08111112311.
Learn basic life support and save lives on the move.
