As Americans are consistently getting heavier, obesity levels are rising causing more heart disease and strokes. The American Heart Association is an organization that is working to spread awareness of this trend, in order to preserve the health and wellness of Americans.
The susceptibility to cardiac arrest has direct correlation to a person's weight. They are especially susceptible if they are obese.
Cardiac arrest occurs when normal circulation of the blood stop because the heart fails to contract correctly. In some cases simple cardiopulmonary resuscitation or CPR, has been able to restart these vital, normal functions of the body and prevent people from dying.
However, the survival rate of someone in cardiac arrest is much higher if ACLS, or advanced cardiac life support, is implemented.
ACLS is the term for additional medical procedures used in emergencies specifically for treating cardiac arrest and the knowledge required to perform these procedures. The implementation of ACLS requires thorough medical training both through education and practice.
Generally, only qualified health care professionals are allowed to implement ACLS on a patient. A few examples of these qualified health care professionals include physicians, paramedics, nurses, respiratory therapists, clinical pharmacists, physician's assistants, nurse and practitioners.
In order to perform ACLS, the individual has to know and be able to manage the air flow in the patients, be authorized to administer IV's, read and correctly apply the information given by the electrocardiograms, and have a thorough knowledge of emergency pharmacology. The ACLS procedure begins by the medical personal assessing the patient's heart rhythms using a manual defibrillator.
In normal Basic Life Support (BSL) a Automated External Defibrillator (AED) would typically be used. An AED is a machine that decides when and how a shock should be given to a patient.
The manual defibrillator is used by the medical team leader to manually administer shock to the patient. The team leader has to have thorough training to be able to make this decision wisely and correctly based on their vital signs.
Typically, once cardiac arrest strikes a patient the medical team has four to six minutes to resuscitate them before it is too late. If the patient is in ventricular fibrillation the survival rate is as high as 80%.
Following the administration of the defibrillator, the team will administer an IV to the patient as well as air devices such as oxygen tubes. The team may also decide to administer a drug to assist the patient to recovery.
Then, the team will search for the cause of the cardiac arrest. There are many possible causes of cardiac arrest, including heart attack, drug overdose, or trauma.
Once the specific cause of the cardiac arrest is identified, tailored treatments for the condition can be administered. For example, if the cause was drug overdose, the medical team can give the patient the counter acting drug.
Throughout this entire procedure, CPR or chest compressions are continued until no longer needed. CPR is a vital part of ACLS.
CPR is important because it can restore circulation to the brain which in turn preserves the vital organs for a short time. This short time may be long enough to save the patient's life.
When ACLS and CPR are combined, not only is survival rate increased by the brain functions following the cardiac arrest are higher. It is also more likely that there will be fewer brain defects following treatment.
Many communities have trained their emergency personal in ACLS because of the benefits that it offers. Hospitals are also requiring that the nurses they hire be trained in administering ACLS before they can be employed.
ACLS is a life saving operation and it is vital that all medical personal are trained in it. It is also important that the general public is aware of the causes of cardiac arrest so that they can take measures to prevent the side effects of cardiac arrest.
Author Resource:-
Terry Daniels has worked as a nurse for the last 14 years. He has worked in many local clinics and the ER and, like many doctors, is always looking for a way to re-certify his ACLS online.
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