The AED Superstore Weblog

Companion Pet Resuscitation

Would you, without hesitation, perform CPR on a family member?

A recent Associated Press-Petside.com poll detemined "that 58% of pet owners would be at least somewhat likely to perform CPR on their pet in the event of a medical emergency." An interesting concept, don't you think?

CPR on animals is basically the same as it is on humans, it's just the difference in size and anatomy that matters. You would still give rescue breaths and perform "chest" compressions. Many CPR instructors have included Companion Pet Resuscitation in their repertoire for pet-owners or others who care for animals.

The poll also ascertained that few pet owners are prepared for pet emergencies in their home, with just one-in-five having a pet first aid kit on hand. Most, however, said they would do whatever they could to help their family members who happen to be animals.

At the AED Superstore we haven't forgotten Fido or Fluffy! Check out our pet CPR and pet First Aid products, like CasPeR the CPR Dog manikin by Simulaids, Life/form's Advanced Sanitary CPR Dog manikin, the Pet First Aid kit from First Aid Only, and the Pet First Aid and Disaster Response Guide.

Accidents can and do happen. Make sure you're prepared if Spot or Snowball need your help!

Strangers more likely to perform CPR--friends and relatives are less likely

We found an interesting post over at The Straight Dope that really surprised us. They chewed on some research results involving resuscitation statistics that reveal strangers are more likely to perform CPR on you than someone you know would.

Conventional wisdom held (without any basis other than it sounded "good") that strangers were less likely to perform CPR on others. We thought the reasons included the unknown medical history of strangers, unknown airborne and bloodborne pathogens you could be exposed to--stuff like that. It goes along with the American Heart Association's "hands-only" CPR program that addresses this.

It turns out rescuers panic more when they know the victim.

What's the moral of their blog post? 

"...if you're planning on having a heart attack, I recommend you arrange to have a trained stranger on hand who can start CPR immediately upon your collapse."

Click the comment link below and tell us your thoughts!

Stayin' Alive

When the AHA changed its CPR Guidelines in 2005 to increase the rate of chest compressions to 100 compressions per minute (CPM), it was found that many responders had difficulty grasping just exactly how fast that is.  "The most common error is to push too fast," according to Alson S. Inaba, a pediatric emergency physician at Kapiolani Medical Center in Honolulu.  When he asks CPR class members to demonstrate 100 CPM on a manikin, the usual rate is 120-150 CPM, which is much too fast to allow the chest to fully recoil (also part of the new recommendations).

One day, while Dr. Inaba was listening to a recording of the Bee-Gees 1970s disco hit "Stayin' Alive", and acting on a hunch, he timed the song's rhythm and found it was exactly 100 beats per minute.  He now uses that song during CPR training, and the students consistently deliver chest compressions in the range of 99, 100, or 101 CPM.  "Most people know the tune, and it sticks with them" says Dr. Inaba.

He now uses the song in all his CPR classes and has shared it with other CPR instructors.  According to Dr. Inaba, "Hollywood couldn't have written a better script:  'Staying Alive' describes the AHA mission and reminds us what we're trying to achieve with chest compressions, and the song was number 1 in 1979 when AEDs first came out."

Just as a side note:  There is another song with the same tempo that could be used in keeping pace with the proper compression rate, but the title may not be quite as appropriate.  That song is Queen's "Another One Bites the Dust."

Physio-Control's LifePak 1000 deployed on the International Space Station

   

     The first AED we know of deployed into space is the Physio-Control LifePak 1000. The news was released today. Prior space missions used fully manual monitor/defibrillators.

     We really like the post about it at MedGadget, too!

When are you most likely to have a heart attack?

 

   If your answer is something like "immediately after stressful activity," try again! The answer surprised us that on average, the risk is highest between 6am and 12 noon and not after a hard day's work. The entire article is available here from TIME Magazine.

Preventing cardiac arrest in kids

     We discussed the rarity "myth" of pediatric cardiac arrest in a recent post, but now we learn that there's perhaps a preventative measure. Simply screening kids for heart problems before they engage in athletic activities might be all it takes.

     Parents and school officials will want to read this article.

Meet Dr. Bernard Lown...inventor of the defibrillator

     Ask any doctor or paramedic who has been around awhile about what it was like to use an early model defibrillator and you'll hear about how big and heavy they used to be. AEDs weren't even on the radar back then.

     The very first external defibrillator was developed by Dr. Bernard Lown in the 1960's after reading a paper written by Dr. Paul Zoll. (The ZOLL name should be familiar to our readers by now!) It weighed over 60 lbs and was anything but portable. But it was the first major step in changing the way sudden cardiac arrest and other heart arrhythmias were treated and the technology applies today to AEDs.

     The portable defibrillators you'll find at the AED Superstore weigh less than 60 lbs...we promise!

Should kids be taught CPR at a young age?

Yes!

American Academy of Pediatrics says heart problems in kids have been underestimated

     For years the common knowledge about pediatric cardiac arrest centered around the following facts: it's usually brought on by respiratory arrest, and, it's rare.

     The American Academy of Pediatrics believes the problem is not as uncommon as we first thought. You'll find the article here. It could change perception of pediatric cardiac arrest as we know it.

Fake CPR cards racket busted

     We just never knew there was such an "industry!"