With 350,000 people suffering cardiac arrest outside the hospital and over 200,000 suffering cardiac arrest in a hospital setting, the ability for people (both bystanders and medical professionals) to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation, commonly known as CPR, correctly has become critically important. If CPR is performed accurately and immediately, the survival rate of a victim who is experiencing cardiac arrest can increase tremendously. Properly applying this simple skill can be the difference between life and death for some victims.
Whenever one performs CPR, he/she is stimulating another person’s heartbeat in an attempt to restore blood flow and oxygen within the body. To force the heart to keep pumping, chest compressions are performed on the unconscious person. Proper technique is absolutely crucial when it comes to saving someone’s life while carrying out CPR. If CPR is executed imprecisely, it can cause ineffective blood flow.
To keep up with the most effective techniques, advancements in the training of lifesaving resuscitation have been continuous throughout time. The American Heart Association (AHA) has announced new CPR training requirements that go into effect January 31, 2019. The AHA will require the use of an “instrumented directive feedback device in all courses that teach adult CPR skills.”
Benefits of the New AHA Requirements
- Reduces the time between training and demonstration of competence in a training environment
- Provides real time feedback which allows learners to self-correct their skill performance immediately
- Improves the quality and consistency of CPR training
- Increases the chances of a successful outcome when CPR is performed
According to the AHA, chest compressions are taught to be administered at a rate of 100 to 120 compressions per minute and a depth of at least two inches. Sometimes, it can be difficult for instructors to detect whether a learner is performing CPR properly. Therefore, the AHA expects that feedback devices must at least be able to measure and provide real-time audio and/or visual feedback on compression rate and depth. To achieve these expectations, types of feedback devices that can be employed include those that can be added to and used with existing manikins, those that are part of manikins, monitors or defibrillators used in conjunction with manikins, or high-fidelity manikins.
If you are looking for manikins in compliance with AHA’s new CPR guidelines, check out Pocket Nurse’s Little Anne QCPR manikin and Brayden CPR manikin.
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