June 04, 2024

TriHealth is an American Heart Association (AHA) Training Center.

This means that the TriHealth Corporate Clinical Education department has met and maintains the AHA standards, guidelines, and requirements permitting us to provide high-quality resuscitation training to our team members, from basic life support (BLS) to Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) and Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS). We have partnered with the AHA because they are leaders in evidence-based lifesaving care from early intervention through post-resuscitative care. Our BLS, ACLS and PALS Training Programs are all AHA approved and prepared for audits by the AHA. This ensures we have a consistent training foundation/methodology of delivering training that helps us all to “speak the same language” when we provide emergency interventions.

In 2007, the American Heart Association in coalition with the American Red Cross and the National Safety Council worked collaboratively to designate a National CPR and AED Awareness Week federally. On December 13, 2007, Congress unanimously passed a resolution to set aside June 1-7 each year as National CPR and AED Awareness Week to spotlight how lives can be saved if more Americans know CPR and how to use an AED. The knowledge and skills of CPE and AED use are proven to save lives from sudden cardiac arrest.

The Importance of Bystander Response

Most sudden cardiac arrests outside the hospital happen at home, which means many people would need CPR from a loved one. However, the AHA reports that only about 30% of people receive immediate help. Survival rates of people who experience an out-of-hospital sudden cardiac arrest are low, with approximately 10% living until hospital discharge. When bystanders step in to perform CPR and use an AED, they buy the person precious time until first responders arrive and can provide medical help and transportation to a hospital. Every second counts in cardiac arrest.

Healthcare Provider Training for High-Quality CPR

In the hospital, all providers and those who could be involved in patient care are trained to perform high-quality CPR through HeartCode BLS. High-quality CPR is the primary component in influencing survival from cardiac arrest. To save more lives, healthcare providers must be competent in delivering high-quality CPR, and patient care teams must be coordinated and competent working together effectively. BLS is the foundation of all resuscitation and advanced life support skills. Advanced Cardiac Life Support and Pediatric Advanced Life Support skills cannot be successful without high-quality CPR. You can NEVER go wrong with providing CPR until help arrives!

High-quality CPR has four key components:

• 100 to 120 chest compressions per minute
• Compression depth of at least 2 inches for adults
• Appropriate patient ventilation
• High-quality compressions for at least 80% of the event

In the community setting and for all non-clinical team members, Hands-only CPR takes just two steps: Call 911 and push hard and fast in the center of the chest.

Give chest compressions at a rate of 100 to 120 compressions per minute. The AHA shares popular songs with that beat, including "Stayin' Alive" by the Bee Gees and "Crazy in Love" by Beyoncé featuring Jay-Z. Matching the compression rate to a popular song helps people remember how to perform compressions correctly.

This June, go beyond CPR awareness - encourage non-clinical friends and family to learn Hands Only CPR and AED use by using this link Hands-only CPR. More empowered bystanders can save more lives!