Proper precautions and training can prevent the spread of bloodborne pathogens

written by Pearl Salkin |

If a lab technician at a major medical research center in the United States drops a glass beaker on a counter and it breaks, it’s highly unlikely that any bloodborne pathogen that might be present will find a series of human hosts and cause a worldwide epidemic. Such facilities fall under the governance of the Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA), which sets a standard that saves workers and the public from these biological hazards.

Basically, a bloodborne pathogen is a microorganism that is infectious. When present in blood, any one of numerous microorganisms can cause disease in humans. If precautions are taken at sites where transmission of these pathogens is likely, the risk of spreading the infection is virtually eliminated.

While the scourge of AIDS and HIV, the virus that causes it, have made scary news headlines for 30 years in the U.S., two other bloodborne pathogens strike fear in the hearts of those who are informed. Those two terrifying culprits are hepatitis B (HBV) and hepatitis C (HCV). Though they certainly get less fanfare, they have been spreading across the country and around the globe at an alarming rate.

The simplest way to safeguard against the proliferation of bloodborne pathogens is to stop them in their tracks at sites of possible contagion. In the workplace, that means adequately training anyone who has a likelihood of coming into contact with human blood in the proper procedures for dealing with what can be a deadly substance – human blood that could contain readily contractible pathogens.

OSHA has identified occupations and industries that warrant the issuing of both general and educational guidelines, and specific rules, such as the Needlestick Safety and Prevention Act. The details of their edicts cover a gamut of subjects involving training. They range from how to minimize the risk of occupational exposure to what methods should be employed when an accident happens and a cut in the skin involving contaminated sharps becomes a health threat.

Obviously, people who work as lab techs, doctors, nurses, dental hygienists, EMT’s, hospital housekeeping personnel, tattoo artists and the like often come in contact with human blood routinely and should receive instruction on the latest methods for preventing their own infection and making sure others in contact with them and/or their workplace are protected, too.  Often overlooked is the good Samaritan who rushes to a small retail store’s first aid kit when a fellow employee accidentally slices his finger open with a box cutter.  But there are others who seem to fall through the safety net, such as lumberjacks, mechanics, machinery operators, warehouse staff, craftsman, butchers (the list is endless) that have a potential to be exposed to another coworkers mishap.

According to OSHA – Occupational Exposure means reasonably anticipated skin, eye, mucous membrane, or parenteral contact with blood or other potentially infectious materials that may result from the performance of an employee’s duties.

In light of the disastrous consequences of second-guessing a workplace’s preparedness to handle an incident that seems minor on the surface – bandaging a co-worker’s cut – a business owner or institution or organization director or manager should look into expanding first aid training.   Just because a workplace isn’t under an OSHA bloodborne pathogen infection mandate doesn’t make that workplace a safe one. Training that covers every preventative measure that can be taken to protect employees and the public is a prudent investment.

Safety on the beach

written by Pearl Salkin |

What could be better than spending a beautiful spring day at the beach? Kids living at the coast or lakeside have perennially played hooky on a hot May day to enjoy the sand and the surf. Similarly, grandmas and grandpas in Miami and throughout the Sunshine State often find the call of the warm waves irresistible and head for their favorite spot of sandy turf. While some fresh sea air and a natural helping of vitamin D can be good for the body and spirit, it’s wise to be aware of the dangers that lurk in the deep and on dry land, too.

Lightning – The expression “a bolt out of the blue” never rings truer than when someone is struck by lightning that seems to come from a cloudless sky. The National Severe Storms Laboratory, a research and education division of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has confirmed the notion that lightning can strike a person or object that is 10 miles away from a thunderstorm. Scientists say that the highest point on a plane – like a tree on a golf course or a person standing on a beach – is more likely to be struck during a thunderstorm than a short shrub or a person lying down and making a lower vertical profile. They also must admit that they don’t know everything about lightning’s behavior. Strikes are often unpredictable and random.

It would be prudent to pay attention to weather warnings far in advance of approaching storms. If the sky above is clear but storm clouds seem to be gathering in the distance, don’t wait to hear the first clap of thunder. It’s time to seek a safer place.

Jellyfish and sharks and sharp seashells, oh my!

A walk along the beach or a dip in the ocean or river can be an invigorating and refreshing experience on a hot summer day. Or it can be a dangerous encounter with some of nature’s not-so-nice offerings.

The ocean is full of wondrous creatures. Sharks and jellyfish are just two. But an encounter with either will not be pleasant and could possibly be life threatening.

Only in rare circumstances would a jellyfish sting be more than a little painful and irritating. When stung by one at a beach that has a lifeguard on duty, first aid is readily available. If there is no lifeguard or roaming beach patrol, a quick trip to the supermarket for some vinegar is the common way to treat a minor sting. But in rare circumstances, a sting can be life threatening, causing a person to experience sudden cardiac arrest. If no trained first responder is nearby, the victim should be given CPR until professional help is on the scene.

Shark attacks are always dangerous. The best way for swimmers and surfers to protect themselves is to avoid areas and situations known to attract sharks. Among the many tips offered by George H. Burgess, senior biologist in ichthyology (the study of fishes) at the Florida Museum of Natural History, the University of Florida, and other experts in the field are these:

Don’t swim during popular shark feeding times – at dawn and dusk. Don’t go too far from shore or where there are sandbars or steep drop-offs. Don’t wear shiny jewelry that would give an impression that you are a fish with scales. Don’t go into the water if you see large groups of fish, seabirds or dolphins. Sharks devour them and you wouldn’t want to be dessert. Don’t swim or surf alone. Many a buddy has saved a buddy’s life.

Seashells are fascinating creations. But if you cut your foot on a broken one, that could result in a painful and bloody mess. In that case, seek some first aid. Lifeguards are trained and equipped to handle all sorts of mishaps. If no help is onsite and the injury is minor, use common sense. Try to keep the wound as clean as possible. If the gash is gushing, use pressure to stop the bleeding and seek immediate medical attention.

Paying it forward – Sudden cardiac arrest survivor saves a classmate

Survivors of sudden cardiac arrest usually feel lucky to be alive. Their rescuer was in the right place, at the right time and ready to use their CPR skills to save the victim‘s life.. While the successful outcome of each individual who has come back from the brink is surely something to celebrate, one young recipient of CPR now knows how wonderful it feels to be on the giving side of saving a life.

Tyler Byall was a high school junior in Fort Wayne, Indiana last year when he went into cardiac arrest while asleep. His mother, Kristi Polcsak, immediately performed CPR on him, keeping him alive until paramedics arrived to transport him to the hospital. Thanks to Polcsak’s quick action and the use of an automated external defibrillator (AED) by the paramedics, Byall made a complete recovery.

On September 21, 2011, one year and one day after his own life threatening incident, Byall was wrapping up another normal school day at North Side High School when classmate Abey Luttman was standing near her locker. Luttman went into sudden cardiac arrest and Byall went into action. Byall began CPR on Littman and was assisted by a teacher and others as school nurse Sunny Stachera retrieved the school’s AED. Stachera used the AED, and Littman was soon transported to the hospital, where she was treated and released days later.

Both Byall and Littman were truly blessed to have come through such a life-or-death ordeal. Coincidentally, each of them now has an implanted defibrillator, something that many cardiologists are now employing to make sure that their patients have smooth sailing into the future.

Byall’s story as victim and victor has shed much needed light on how important the immediate and most heroic efforts by bystanders and family members are in saving a life.

In October, the Fort Wayne School Board honored Byall and the others who helped save Littman’s life. And they did it with more than just some words of gratitude and a certificate. The story of survival was brought to the attention of the Sudden Cardiac Arrest Association, Indiana chapter. That acclaimed organization, in recognition of the fast-acting intervention by Byall and his co-rescuers, donated a piece of medical equipment that is worth more than its weight in gold, a Powerheart G3 AED to the Ward Alternative School in Fort Wayne.

Miracle in Marin

The call came in to the Marin County, California Fire Department: “Bicyclist down”. Dispatchers say they get a lot of such calls, usually involving minor injuries. This one was different.

 

When a fire truck and paramedics rolled up to the scene, a bystander was performing CPR on the downed cyclist, who’d had a heart attack. EMS personnel took over the life-saving effort and restored the victim’s heartbeat. Taken to a nearby hospital, the patient recovered and was discharged a few weeks later. All in a day’s work, you might say, for firefighters and paramedics, although that work requires a special kind of individual. But in this case, they say the victim surely would have died had it not been for the bystander’s training in CPR and quick action.

 

The vast majority of people who suffer cardiac arrest die before receiving medical attention. The margin for error, the difference between life and death, is only a few minutes. In cases where CPR is quickly initiated, the successful recovery rate jumps to 30%. Pretty low, you think? Without CPR, the survival rate is zero, unless of course the heart attack takes place in a hospital or outside a fire station. Of course, that almost never happens in day-to-day life.

 

The recommended technique for CPR has changed in recent years. The old method, alternating chest compressions with mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, has been superseded by the hands-only approach. The only exception is in cases where the problem is respiratory, as in near-drowning. Otherwise, the most urgent necessity is to keep blood circulating through chest compressions until help arrives.

 

Like anything else, CPR is easy – if you know how to do it. The training is so easy and takes so little time, that’s hard to think of a reason not to receive it, especially considering what’s at stake: a human life, with infinite potential never realized unless someone nearby knows CPR and applies it quickly. Why shouldn’t that someone be you?

CPR is not something you do on the living

I recently met a woman in a class who stated that she never performed CPR, but almost did.  I asked for more information and found out that she had looked out her front window one morning just in time to see a man collapse near her mailbox.  She said that she “would have performed CPR, but he was already dead”.  I think it is very important to remind people that we are NOT performing CPR on people who are living & breathing.  CPR alone, will not bring them back, but will provide oxygen to the organs that need it, especially the brain, until they can receive life saving measures  at the hospital and maybe actually survive with a quality life..

Father and Daughter Saved

A Chicago man and his daughter were saved from drowning in choppy Lake Michigan, when fast-acting bystanders pulled them from the water. The father undoubtedly would have died on shore if a rescuer hadn’t put his CPR training to quick use.

The 14-year old girl was floundering in waves up to four feet high off a beach in St. Joseph, Michigan. She called to her father for help, but he was overcome too. A nearby swimmer pulled the daughter to safety, while two others went to the father’s aid. When they got Fidel Chavez to shore, he was unconscious. One of the good Samaritans began CPR on the 49-year old man, and when medical help arrived, his breathing and heartbeat had been restored. He was later released from a local hospital.

This is a story of heroism, of course, but it also underscores the fact that knowing which CPR method to use makes the difference between life and death. When someone collapses suddenly, the cause is almost always heart attack. In that case, the American Heart Association emphasizes that restoring or replacing the heartbeat through Continuous Chest Compressions (CCC), rather than alternating between compressions and breaths into the victim’s lungs, greatly increases both survival and successful outcomes.

On the other hand, if the problem is respiratory – as in drug overdose, choking or near drowning – traditional CPR still is recommended. How to tell the difference? One word: training, which also is the key to proper application. Understanding the situation doesn’t help much if we don’t know how to respond, but fast. The first few minutes are critical.

Like so many things in life, CPR is simple once I’ve been taught how to do it. And, like riding a bicycle, the knowledge stays with me. The statistics are unequivocal: your chances of surviving a critical event without further complications increase three-fold if at least one person nearby knows CPR and begins it quickly. Those are great odds, especially considering the alternative. Ask Fidel Chavez and his family.

“Why am I here?” It’s a question most of us ask ourselves at one time or another. Anyone who’s been trained in CPR and puts it to good use – on a stranger or, more poignantly, a loved one – always will have an answer

Weekly American Heart CPR training in St Petersburg area

In-Pulse CPR is now offering weekly CPR classes in St Petes and Pinellas Park neighborhoods. These public classes offer CPR and / or First Aid certifications for Healthcare (BLS) and non-healthcare (Heartsaver) at convenient locations and times says a spokesman for the company.

View St Petersburg and Pinellas Park CPR class calendar now

 

The American Heart is one of the most respected sources for CPR training in the world. In-Pulse CPR offers public classes taught by American Heart certified instructors at 6 class locations in the Tampa Bay area. All our instructors are nurses, EMT’s, Firefighters, etc and offer many interesting stories in their classes to help make the class fun.

Remember In-Pulse CPR for all your CPR and First Aid training requirements.

 

In-Pulse CPR main office
6613 State Road 54
New Port Richey, FL 34653

813-343-4024

You Can Learn A Lot From A CPR Dummy!

An Intersection of Need and Know-how

Some might call it a bizarre set of coincidences, while others would say it was divine intervention. Either way, the fact that a 22-month old girl survived cardiac arrest was a miracle directly attributable to the CPR training of a passerby.

 

The toddler was visiting with relatives in St. Catharine’s, Canada, when the crisis happened. An ear infection worsened and the little girl had a seizure that stopped her heart. Her uncle got on his cell phone and called 911, but with other family members panicking, he couldn’t hear the emergency operator. So Glen Curnock stepped outside to get away from the noise. That’s when fate – or God – intervened.

 

Loraine Gray was passing by and heard the panic in Curnock’s voice. Curious, she paused and heard the man say something about a child who wasn’t breathing. After Curnock ended the call, Gray asked if anyone was performing CPR on the baby. Curnock said no; none of the child’s relatives knew how. Loraine Gray did. She followed Curnock inside and began performing CPR on the toddler, privately thinking she might be too late because the girl’s lips were blue from lack of oxygen. But she persevered until paramedics arrived in a short time and took over. The little girl would be okay.

 

A few days later, Loraine Gray, who’d learned CPR at the YMCA where she works, was still a bit unnerved by events: “I’m still a little shook up and humbled by all this,” she said, “It was a shock but it turned out the way it was supposed to be.” No doubt that’s true, but the situation would have turned out very differently if Gray hadn’t happened by at just the right moment, if she hadn’t been trained in CPR and been willing to help.

 

Her story could be yours, mine or anyone’s and often is. Lives are saved daily by people who know CPR and act quickly in critical situations. These acts of heroism sometimes are unremarked by any but those who are directly involved. Consider, however, the good done by those whose lives have been saved, also unheralded. All made possible by the simple process of learning CPR. It is, as Loraine Gray observed, humbling.

Trained in CPR

You’re never too young to have a heart attack – or too young to save the life of someone who’s had one. Beth Scroggs was only 52 and in good health, riding San Francisco BART commuter train, when suddenly she slumped over in her seat, unconscious. Ms. Scroggs had suffered a cardiac arrest, the leading cause of natural death in the United States. But Beth Scroggs didn’t die.

 

Regaining consciousness in a hospital several days later, Ms. Scroggs learned that her life had been saved by a fellow passenger, a girl 15 years old! While other bystanders stood by helplessly, young Sara Broski immediately began chest compressions on the unconscious woman. She’d only learned CPR a few weeks earlier.

Sadly, most heart attack victims die before receiving medical attention. But their chances of successful recovery increase exponentially if CPR is begun quickly by a trained bystander. The operative word is quickly. The chance of death from cardiac arrest  increases up to ten percent for every minute that passes before CPR is begun. What’s more, the victim begins to suffer brain damage from lack of oxygenated blood in just a very few minutes.

 

Learning CPR is easy with proper training, which takes very little time. Compare that modest expenditure of time with the extra years someone like Beth Scroggs has been granted to spend with her family and friends – time which, without the effort of young Sara Broski, would have been denied to her and lost to them. No price can be put on such a commodity.

There really is no excuse for not learning CPR. If you think you have one, like you’re too busy or can’t be bothered, think again. Think of Beth Scroggs, alive today through the simple heroism of a young girl. And think of a loved one of your own and what you’d do if he or she had a heart attack. It’s a pretty simple equation.

Guarding Life

Live power lines and oncoming traffic didn’t deter a Massachusetts prison guard from saving the life of a man who’d suffered a heart attack while driving. Credit goes to a combination of bravery, fast action and CPR training.
Edward Johansen was driving along Route 140 in Norton early in the afternoon when he saw a car veer off the road and crash into a telephone pole, splitting it in half. Thinking and acting quickly, he pulled over and yanked the victim out of the wreckage. The man was turning blue and had no pulse. Johansen had to avoid downed electrical lines and, because of them, pull the man into the street, where he began CPR despite the danger from cars passing by. Another motorist called for help and in a short time, a truck driver stopped and used his vehicle to block traffic.

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Register for a CPR class today!

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It didn’t take very long for paramedics to reach the scene, but it’s likely the victim would have died or suffered brain damage if it hadn’t been for Johansen’s courage and knowledge of CPR. Emergency personnel took over and transported the man to a hospital, while Johansen went home, not knowing the man’s fate. Later that night, he was overjoyed to receive a phone call, letting him know his heroism had paid off: the guy was doing well.

 

Some weeks later, at an award ceremony honoring Johansen for his actions, he got to meet the man whose life he’d saved. As it happens, both are 45 years old, live in the same town and have two children. “It just made me realize how important life is,” Johansen said. “The fact that he was my age and has two children – I just saved a dad, a husband and a father.” It was a dramatic reminder that often, many lives intersect at the same moment in time. All would have experienced tragedy if not for Edward Johansen’s training in CPR and willingness to apply it, even at his own risk.

 

Most of the time, the sort of extraordinary bravery documented here isn’t necessary, although it’s encouraging to know it exists. What’s usually needed in the event of heart attack, of which there are 1.5 million a year in the United States, is for someone nearby to know CPR and start it quickly. Only a few hours of training stand between you  and the ability to do unimaginable good.

 

DO SOMETHING!

Written by Carol – In-Pulse CPR Instructor |

A number of years ago, our neighborhood experienced one of the most horrific of nightmare situations.  Little 5 year old, Shannon, was coming home from Kindergarten one very slippery January day in Pennsylvania.  The bus driver loved the children very much, lived in the neighborhood, and in 22 years of driving bus, had never had an incident.   Today was the day to change lives forever.  Shannon got off the bus at her stop and went around the front of the bus.  When she reached her side of the road, she was joined by her mother.  The bus driver always made certain that children were met by a parent prior to leaving the stop.  All was well, at least it appeared that way.  Shannon dropped a paper and the wind blew it under the bus.  Like so many impulsive children would want to do, she chased the paper..even crawling under the bus to do so.  The bus driver had no idea that Shannon was in any danger and started moving again, only to hear screams from children on the bus saying that she had run over Shannon.  The driver immediately stopped the bus, the mother was screaming, the bus driver was hysterical, neighbors called 911.

We know that Shannon had NO CHANCE for survival as her little tiny body was crushed by that heavy bus. Shannon’s mother was screaming for someone to help her daughter. Mr. Meyers, a good Samaritan neighbor began CPR on little Shannon’s body.  Did he think it would work? Did he think there was hope?  In speaking to Mr. Meyers afterwards, he told me that even though he knew that Shannon was already dead with no hope for survival, he performed CPR for the benefit of the grieving mother.  She desperately needed to know that someone cared.

Here’s what I learned from this experience…CPR is not just for the benefit of the recipient, but also so very important to the family members who want to feel that all is being done to help their loved one.  Don’t just stand and watch…DO  SOMETHING!

 

What is Capnography?

With the 2010 guidelines, American Heart Association now endorses wave form capnography.

So what is Capnography?

Capnography is becoming an integral part of the monitoring done in the prehospital environment.  A capnograph is used to monitor/measure the amount of carbon dioxide in respiratory gases.  It provides information about the effectiveness of respiration’s, and end-tidal carbon dioxide values.  The amount of expired carbon dioxide reflects the changes in metabolism, circulation respiration, the airway and breathing system and, therefore, has become a vital tool for predicting the return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) following a cardiac arrest.

To understand how this works it is best to first go back to the “basics”

Physiologically:  Carbon dioxide is produced in the tissues by metabolism and is then diffused into the blood via the venous system (this is basically equal to cardiac output)  The blood carrying carbon dioxide enters the right side of the heart and from there travels to the lungs.  This is where oxygen enters the blood.  Carbon dioxide is given out or eliminated during expiration.  The measurement of carbon dioxide that is found in the expired air indicates the amount of carbon dioxide that has been produced at the tissue level and in the delivery of it to the lungs via the circulatory system.

Capnography directly monitors the inhaled and exhaled concentration of carbon dioxide.  It does this by monitoring the concentration or partial pressure of carbon dioxide.

Predicting the ROSC during CPR can be very difficult.  Survival is dependent upon many things, such as, the factors surrounding the arrest, pre-existing medical limits to the resuscitation efforts, time of onset of cardiac arrest, etc.  The constant assessment of etCO2 during CPR gives a good indication of the patient with ROSC and a patient without ROSC.   If the air exchange shows enough carbon dioxide, it is a great indicator to continue with artificial respiration and CPR.

A 54yr old man from Minnesota will tell you how important capnography is.  After collapsing from a sudden cardiac arrest, emergency responders began doing CPR.  With the information received by capnography it was determined that his brain was being protected with adequate blood flow.  For 96 minutes, responders continued their efforts and the patient survived with NO injury to his brain.

Capnographs were once only found in the operating rooms but are slowly being made available to emergency personnel.

HCC Hillsborough Community College nursing students welcome to attend our CPR Training Classes

HCC Nursing students CPR Training Classes

We have a large amount of nursing and dental students who take our classes over an equivalent college offered course. Please be assured that all nursing or dental programs in the area will accept our program to fulfill your CPR requirements. When signing up please select a BLS for Healthcare course .

At In-Pulse CPR we take pride in our quality of teaching. We use the latest technology and state-of-the-art equipment to provide for an interactive, experiential learning environment. We make sure that each student leaves the classroom feeling confident in the skills they gained. Our classes are fun too!

We offer CPR certification at multiple locations across Tampa Bay.

BLS Healthcare CPR / Heath care Professional – This is the certification Hillsborough Community College nursing, dental or EMT students would need to register for. These classes are showing in yellow on our calendar.


Click here to View our Class Calendar


 

American Health Institute Port Richey students welcome to attend our CPR Training Classes

American Health Institute FL available CPR Training Classes

We have a large amount of Medical Assistants and nursing students who take our classes over an equivalent college offered course. Please be assured that all nursing programs in the area will accept our program to fulfill your CPR requirements. When signing up please select a BLS for Healthcare course .

At In-Pulse CPR we take pride in our quality of teaching. We use the latest technology and state-of-the-art equipment to provide for an interactive, experiential learning environment. We make sure that each student leaves the classroom feeling confident in the skills they gained. Our classes are fun too!

We offer CPR certification at multiple locations across Tampa Bay.


Click here to View our Class Calendar

 

BLS Healthcare CPR / Heath care Professional – This is the certification American Health Institute nursing students would need to register for. These classes are showing in yellow on our calendar.  Click on link above to view our available classes.

 

  What is CPR?    Why do we need CPR training?   Why do we need AED training?   Why do we need First Aid training?   Who needs Bloodborne Pathogens training?   What employers need to know   Survival Stories   Staying Healthy   Avoiding Injuries   Tributes to those who help make our lives safe More...     Sign Up for a CPR Class  
Disclaimer:
Use of any advise on this site is purely at your own risk.  The information supplied is designed to accompany CPR and first aid training not to replace.  In-Pulse CPR, Inc disclaims any liability for losses you incur as a result of inaccuracy of the information provided on this website.  Information on this site is for education, supplemental to examination by and advice of medical professionals.   Any information regarding first aid treatments is not meant to replace the advice of medical professionals including physicians, paramedics, emergency room attendants, nurses or other licensed medical personnel.