First Aid Techniques

Basic Life Support Provider “BLS for HCP’s CPR-C & AED”

As of 2015 Health Care Professionals across Canada have had new guidelines and updates released to maintain a high level of education and medical practice. One such course that “All” Health Care Providers need “at any level” is the ‘Basic Life Support Provider “BLS for HCP’s CPR-C & AED” course taught through the Heart & Stroke Foundation of Canada. This program gives many additional techniques that all Health Care Providers can implement during their CPR practice to boost resuscitation rates to their peek.

  • Basic Life Support Provider is also known as BLS for HCP’s, or Basic Cardiac Life Support “BCLS“.

At this time Alberta Health Services “requires” all Health Care Providers to maintain a current level of Basic Life Support Provider CPR-C & AED through the Heart & Stroke Foundation of Canada.

Public level CPR “VS” HCP Level CPR:

For many programs taught for the General Public CPR is provided almost identically as it would be if you were a Health Care Professional. However, the differences are slight but very important to recognize. One such alteration we find quite commonly asked about is “Do we give breaths anymore?” To answer this question think of this, “If you car ran out of gas, what would it do? it would quit right?, now can you start it again? No….. Not without adding more gas right?” Humans are almost identical in this fashion as you are a “Biological Machine” with Oxygen being your main source of fuel. If you do not give the patient any fuel how could you start their engine? We do understand however that “Barrier Devices – Pocket Masks” may not be available, so for this post we will include the “Compression’s Only CPR” guideline so that it can be better understood. Health Care Providers are “Required” to be able to give a breath to their patients with a multitude of devices.

Additional Skills for Health Care Providers include:

  1. Jaw Thrust
  2. Pulse Check
  3. Bag Valve Mask
  4. Rescue Breathing
  5. 2 Rescuer CPR
  1. – JAW THRUST – “Requires 2 people” If you think a person might have a Head Neck or spine injury, use a “Jaw Thrust” to open the airway instead of a “Head Tilt Chin Lift“
  • a) At the head of the patient place the fingers of both hands on the angles of the jaw following the mandible
  • b) Lift the jaw forward while keeping gentle pressure on the cheeks to keep the head from moving off the ground
  • c) have your partner place their Pocket mask or BVM over the persons mouth and nose and give breaths while you maintain the Jaw Thrust.

– PULSE CHECK – HCP only skill, the general public is not required to know how to check the pulse, instead they will focus on breathing.

“To perform a Pulse check on an Adult / Child:”

  • a) Find the middle of the person’s throat “Adam’s Apple“
  • b) Slide your fingers into the groove at the side of the neck closest to you and slight draw up “You should feel a pulsation against your fingertips ” 5-10 seconds.

“To perform a Pulse check on an infant:”

  • a) Place one or two fingers on the underside of the baby’s arm halfway between the elbow and the shoulder
  • b) Gently push in against the upper arm bone while holding your thumb back.”You should feel a pulsation against your fingertips” 5-10 seconds.

– BAG VALVE MASK – “Requires 2 people” A “Bag-Valve-Mask” has three parts, a bag, a valve and a mask. To use the BVM:

  • a) at the head of the patient place the mask over the face using the bridge of the nose as a guide
  • b) SLIP your “thump and Index finger” against the top of the mask to the opposite side of your palm
  • c) Turn your palm down and GRIP the mandible with your remaining 3 fingers pinching your thumb and index finger down against the mask
  • d) FLIP the chin back into a “Head Tilt Chin Lift” opening the airway, wait for your cues as your partner delivers high quality CPR and give two breaths by squeezing the bag when you are ready looking for a “chest rise”

– RESCUE BREATHING – A “Rescue Breath” is given when you find a patient who is “NOT” breathing but “DOES” have a pulse. This may be due to Toxic Gas Inhalation, Impact to the chest, pulmonary edema, asthma, pneumonia and so on. To give a rescue breath:

  • a) With a BVM or a Pocket Mask if you do not hear normal breathing
  • b) Give one breath ever 6 seconds for an “Adult” or give one breath ever 3 seconds for a “Child / Infant“.
  • c) If there is a pulse, continue rescue breathing for two minutes, check for signs of circulation and normal breathing for no longer that 5-10 seconds, if there is circulation but no breathing continue rescue breathing until further medical help arrives.

– TWO RESCUER CPR – For the HCP Health Care Provider only, your Basic Life Support Provider program will integrate team’s of 2-5 to boost chances of resuscitation by splitting the positions into tasks. This also comes with a difference in Age groups as well, to make this simple Saving Grace Medical Academy has come up with a pair of rhymes to help you see what we are doing.

POEM OF 1 “Single Rescuer”

  • If your by yourself always DO thirty and TWO, if its just you what should you do? 30 & 2 for “All Age Groups“. Remember Its “30 Compression’s & 2 Breaths repeated 5 Times” or “Its 30 & 2 X 5 to keep ALL HUMANS ALIVE”

POEM OF 2 “Team Rescue”

  • You can do 15 & 2 if there are 2 of you to 2 times the oxygen for the 2 that need it most “Child & Infant” But you need 2 people to do 15 & 2 so you can 2 times the fuel.

There are many variations of CPR around the world, by following the International Liaison Committee of Resuscitation ILCOR standards set within the 2015 guidelines all health care providers across the globe can now learn the “same” skills to keep continuity across the human species on how to perform High Quality CPR.

For more information on how to register for your BLS “Basic Life Support Provider” program contact Saving Grace Medical Academy and we’ll be happy to help you get the course you need when need it.

In any emergency just remember to Protect Yourself!!! Call 911!!! Don’t Waste Time!!!

Learn First Aid Today, Save a Life Tomorrow, let first aid training in Edmonton be your Saving Grace

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