BLS Tag

Progress on curbing the leading killer of athletes―sudden cardiac death―by spotting heart problems early, has been slow. But the development of a series of online tutorials for sports and cardiology doctors looks set to reverse this trend. The tutorials, which are free to any doctor around the globe, thanks to the backing of the American Medical Society for Sports Medicine (AMSSM) and FIFA, aim to teach physicians how to read heart monitor tracings (ECGs) and spot abnormalities linked to potentially fatal...

A new NCAA-funded research study supports the addition of electrocardiogram (ECG) screening to the standardized pre-participation exams for athletes to better identify cardiac abnormalities that lead to sudden cardiac death (SCD) -- the leading cause of death in athletes during sport. Currently, ECG screening is not a required component of physical exams for NCAA athletes; however, according to NCAA estimates, nearly a dozen college student-athletes in the US suffer sudden cardiac arrest each year. Results support that ECG screening in NCAA athletes...

The Memphis Fire Department is installing new hands-free CPR compression machines in all ambulances after a successful trial period. Fire officials say the department is among the first big-city agencies to install the device, called a Lucas 2, into every ambulance. The action comes after a trial run that began in October. Deputy Chief Gary Ludwig told The Commercial Appeal that Lucas 2 was used 166 times and revived 38 patients, giving it a success rate of 23 percent. That's a big...

The drinks, which often contain large amounts of caffeine and other stimulants like taurine, raise blood pressure and could raise the chance of having an irregular heartbeat, a panel of doctors concluded after looking at results from seven studies. The US doctors said the evidence energy drinks raised blood pressure was “convincing and concerning”. Specifically, they found energy drinks raised systolic blood pressure by 3.5 points. It also lengthened a phase of the heart’s electrical cycle called the ‘QT interval’. Having a...

More should be done to improve the survival rate for the 200,000 adults and children who have an in-hospital cardiac arrest each year, the American Heart Association said. One problem is the assumption that the advances in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest care directly apply to in-hospital arrests, "with no consideration given to the different causes and burden of comorbidities," according to an AHA consensus statement. It may be better for the science of resuscitation if in-hospital and out-of-hospital cardiac arrest guidelines weren't "lumped"...

Family members who witnessed a cardiopulmonary resuscitation, or CPR attempt were less likely to experience symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder later on, a new study found. The proportion of family members with PTSD three months after the CPR attempt was lower among those offered the opportunity to be present than for those who were not directly invited (27 percent versus 37 percent), Dr. Frederic Adnet of Hôpital Avicenne in Bobigny in France and colleagues reported in the March 14 issue of the New England...

No crime was committed at a senior living facility where a staff member refused to perform CPR on an elderly woman who later died, Bakersfield (Calif.) police concluded. The investigation would appear to close the books on the case, which has generated national attention. Police began their probe Monday into Glenwood Gardens, where a woman who identified herself as a nurse refused to administer CPR to a woman as directed by a fire dispatcher. Read more...

Use of a special kit to train parents of children at high risk of sudden cardiopulmonary arrest to perform CPR at home increased the likelihood that parents would know what to do in an emergency, researchers in an American Heart Association-funded study found. Moreover, use of the CPR training kit, which included a baby mannequin, also decreased the time nurses needed to spend briefing parents about CPR prior to discharge, reported Lynda J. Knight, RN, of Lucile Packard Children's Hospital at...

Bakersfield (Calif.) police are investigating a senior living facility over its handling of an 87-year-old woman who died after a staff member declined to perform CPR last week. A woman who identified herself as a nurse at Glenwood Gardens refused to give the woman CPR as directed by a Bakersfield fire dispatcher, saying that it was against the facility's policy for staff to do so, according to a 911 tape released by the Bakersfield Fire Department. Police are trying to "determine whether or not...

Heathcare providers can now get lifesaving CPR and first aid information from two new apps launched by the American Heart Association: eHandbook of Emergency Cardiovascular Care (ECC) for Healthcare Providers and Full Code Pro. The eHandbook of ECC for Healthcare Providers App features the 2010 Handbook of Emergency Cardiovascular Care for Healthcare Providers, a reference tool used by hospital emergency personnel, first responders and advanced CPR instructors. Available for the iPad and iPhone through the Apple App Store, users will have mobile, quick access to the latest resuscitation science...