Do you know CPR or ACLS?

[PBS Poll-435]

American Heart Association - CPR & Emergency Cardiovascular Care

Advanced Cardiac Life Support (via Wikipedia)

[Blue_In_AK]

1. I had to learn CPR at the correctional officer academy

back in 1982. I was much better at CPR than I was at shooting, also part of my training. I've never had to use either one.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

2. I am a retired RN...

CPR was always a prerequisite for working. An up-to-date certificate was presented to my employer every two years, without fail.

I did ACLS once when I was still a hospital nurse. I was very proud to have passed it.

But now I'm retired, and no longer have my license. I decided that it was something I would never use again, so I let it lapse.

But I still remember how to do basic CPR...

A=airway
B=breathing
C=circulation

What a ride it was!

:hi:

[Indiana_Dem]

5. ABCs, that's really all you need to know because without those,

you aren't doing much good anyway!

[CaliforniaPeggy]

7. That's for sure!

[silverojo]

20. Well, I used the ABC's on my aunt

And she still died, anyway.

I really have to admire paramedics. How on earth they can encounter situations where it's just too late to help--AND maintain their sanity--is beyond me.

I salute these great people. :patriot:

[PBS Poll-435]

9. Great post

I remember helping my mom study for her first ACLS test. It was a lot of fun, but most importantly, it is knowledge worth knowing.

[Indiana_Dem]

11. I just get mad because as a floor nurse I hardly ever use it,

and then after they encourage and make you go take the certifications, they send you all over the hospital to fill in because you're "certified". "Certified" doesn't always deem one "qualified"! Sometimes, I'm made to go on ambulance transfers to take patients to larger hospitals when they have to have a blood transfusion en route. It's so ridiculous because the Paramedics and EMTs can obviously push and hang every serious drug there is yet they aren't allowed to transfuse blood!? Go figure. There are many things in the medical world that don't make any sense at all.

[PBS Poll-435]

13. Excellent point,

On a personal point, though, my mother loved the fact that she was more "up to date" on ACLS directives than the doctors she worked with.

[Indiana_Dem]

15. Most definitely! eom

[nadinbrzezinski]

17. No, paramedics and EMTS are not allowed to push every serious drug in the book

in fact, the list of meds that a basic EMT can handle are... wait for it. OXYGEN.. in a few places add laughing gas to the list.

And the list that medics can push are mostly the ALS list, with a few more.. depending on the place how extensive.

As to blood... it is the possible reactions that the patient can have, and sometimes does have.

I was a medic in a place where we had far more freedom than most, and pushing blood products was still out of our scope of practice because of that little detail with those reactions. We talked about it with medical directors and others, and even considered doing some research on it... but it is the possible side effects.

[Indiana_Dem]

18. Well, we've had EMT II's that I've seen push crap, not the plain EMTs though.

And the drugs on the ALS list are ones I rarely give, so they are more scary to me. OTH, they can't push something like Lasix, fer God's sake! Yet-the paramedics can intubate somebody better than I ever could! <sigh>

Usually, I do the med pushing. We have RTs do the airway, the EMTs start IVs, draw blood and do the CPR, the Paramedics can pretty much do it all and I usually leave it to them to do the shocking and pacing. The doc usually runs the code, thank God, if he's/she's there, otherwise it's the paramedic who runs it.

[nadinbrzezinski]

19. You are in a place that has a lot of freedom

that was the way it was when we ran our training academy south of the border. We had a lot of freedom, partly due to the reach or rather lack off, from our radios to base station and MedControl

But the city where I live, there is no such animal as an EMT II, just EMT-B and EMT - P and the Ps are highly limited by medical control

At least when I was still a medic down in Tijuana I transported some patients to the American Hospital (trauma Unit) since my scope of practice was wider than that of the American Paramedic, and my drug list was more extensive

As to Lasix... yep, remember that shit.. we pushed it.

And the ALS shit, you are right, it scared me. Especially with PEDS. PEDS always scared me. And I doubt I am alone on that one... followed closely by deliveries, 99% we were there as a cheering crew, it was the 1% that was ALWAYS scary.

Now truth be told, when we called 9.11 to get dad to the hospital when he broke his hip I had to byte my tongue. After all some protocols have not changed and EMTs are not issued X-Ray vision, but pointing this out to the medics could lead to even worst treatment. Thankfully not following protocol didn't hurt, but I was still going WTF? Where are the full spine precs?

Young crew, like the ones I used to have one sided discussions about exactly that more than once.

[Indiana_Dem]

3. I'm an RNand I have to take both every 2 years along with PALS, too.

PALS is Pediatric Advanced Life Support.

[ColbertWatcher]

4. Other: I know CPR, but not ACLS. n/t

[PBS Poll-435]

6. I fixed the poll

Thanks. I didn't realize the verbage was garbage. :D

[ColbertWatcher]

12. I always post polls with garbled verbage! n/t

[nadinbrzezinski]

8. I have to go take BLS again

I used to be a medic, so I had to do ALS and PALS too...

And the last time I took it, was funny

The instructor was all about how many lives you can save... I went BS.

I knew better... of all the times I did it,,, we got a total of three "saves."

Though with on-site defibrillators I guess the stats have improved

If I have to, I will do it again, regardless of the odds though

And it is a cold drowning, definitely... that was ONE of our saves

thirty five minutes under very cold water in a cistern, we did CPR all the way, and ACLS and started warming patient, by the time we got near the Trauma Bay we got a pulse back... patient walked out of the hospital two days later... with no sequelae.

[Indiana_Dem]

14. That's cool! I had a veteran medical person tell me something once when I was new...

He told me to keep in mind that I couldn't do much to hurt someone who is already "dead" (many times when you are new at this you are afraid you'll do something wrong or hurt the patient). If you think of it as if they are already dead and the only thing you can do is try and bring them back then it doesn't make it so tense...you can think more clearly--at least in my situation.

[nadinbrzezinski]

16. And that person is correct

I used to tell that to MY medics as well, when we did the training

Do no harm... is the chief mantra, but you can do no harm in this case... only good

[MrSlayer]

10. Yes to CPR, No to ACLS.

We learned CPR in apprentice training.

[silverojo]

21. Thanks for these very useful links. - n/t

[tomreedtoon]

22. No. This is not the sort of stuff necessary to my job.

Besides, if someone dies at my job, it's not a tragedy, it's a relief, and the only vacation we can get.

[proud patriot]

23. Yes , I stay Current as I work with preschoolers

I also just took a first aid class .

The last CPR class also trained us in AED use .
Automatic External Defibrillator ...CLEAR...

[PBS Poll-435]

24. Good for you!

:yourock:

[ProfessorGAC]

25. I Know CPR and How To Use An AED

I re-certify through work every time recert classes are offered.
GAC

[Jennicut]

26. I was just certified in CPR and First Aid for adults, children, and infants

I am studying to be a preschool teacher so you have to be certified to get a job but I figured I would do adults and infants too just to know. I know how to use an AED to shock someone as well.