Basic Life Support: training students in emergencies

The Scandinavian Journal of Trauma, Resuscitation and Emergency Medicine has just published a longitudinal investigation which shows how high school students’ skills –related to CPR- improve after being training with Basic Life Support Techniques. The document indicates that Sudden Cardiac Arrest is the most common cause of death worldwide. It affects about 350,000 to 700,000 people in Europe annually and its incidence is expected to rise in the coming years. Although the Sudden Cardiac Arrest incidence at schools accounts for only 2.6% of all public location, if students, as well as teachers, know CPR manoeuvres, they can save a life that, otherwise, might be lost. Moreover, they will be capable of applying CPR anywhere a person collapsed by them.

According to Theresa M Meissner, Cordula Kloppe and Christoph Hanefeld investigation  people who suffer from sudden cardiac arrest depend on prompt basic life support (BLS). Patients who receive bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) have a two to three times higher survival rate (8.2% vs. 2.5% for patients who did not receive CPR). Extensive education of the population in particular countries and regions led to high numbers of bystander CPR in cases of out-of-hospital cardiac arrests. To mention but one example, 12 year old Kylee Shea collapsed in her school (in the United States). She survived because two trained teachers helped her using a life saving device, as shown in this video.

However, studies show that often less than one-third of out-of hospital witnessed cardiac arrest victims receive bystander CPR. Furthermore, 50-65% of cardiac arrests happen at home. Because these victims are less likely to receive bystander CPR, they have poorer outcomes than those who are subject to out of hospital cardiac arrest in other non-hospital locations. In these cases, bystanders are usually family members and can include high school aged students. “Educating school children about Basic Life Support- Meissner, Kloppe and Hanefeld say- is an excellent strategy to reach a broad public and increases the percentage of trained adults in a community”. It is also relevant the fact that high school students have the cognitive and physical ability to act as first bystanders in an emergency by providing CPR to children and even adults.

Other Civil Protection contents

There are some other important skill that students should learn at school. What to do in case of fire, how to act in a car accident, how to prevent, manage and protect yourself in case of natural or man made disaster, how to communicate the incident when calling 112 (911 in the USA), how to evacuate a building, if necessary.

In #Edcivemerg share the opinion that schools are an ideal setting to teach these contents  because a large part of the community is introduced to these life-supporting prospects. We highly recommend that all this knowledge are implemented as a mandatory part of the curriculum. And that is why #Edcivemerg spokespersons are having a meeting tomorrow with the General Director of Evaluation and Cooperation, Xavier Gisbert @XGDC at the Ministry of Education to present him our manifesto and some contents proposals to be introduce in Spanish schools.


What do you think? Comments are welcome.

Would you know how to face an emergency?

Only this week, the EdCivEmerg team found out an interesting video  where we can see how very young Northern Ireland children have being trained to acquire Basic Life Support techniques, in order to know what to do in case of an emergency at home, in a shop or in the street. It has been estimated that if Basic Life Support had been given to these victims, 1800 lives could had been saved. 

Here in Spain, we also have some programmes, but we don’t have this content at school. This means that Basic Life Support is unknown by most citizens. I have a 14 year old son who, now and then, when it is too hot or the place is too crowdy, he faints. Till now, either his father or me have been around to help him. But from now on, since he is starting going out by himself, with some friends of his age, who will help him if the situation worsen? What if no one does something as simple as taking him out into the shade, put his head down and his legs up? What if no one alerts the emergency services, in case it is needed?

Basic Life Support

As you may know, up to 75 % of citizens suffer cardiac arrests at home, 3 out of 4. 25.000 people every year here in Spain.  Up to a thirty per cent of the population seems to know how to make a cardiopulmonary resucitation.  In other words, only 3 out 10 people can apply mouth to mouth resuscitation and cardiac massage. Just a few citizens are capable of applying Basic Life Support. It is been estimated that every minute a person who suffers a cardiac arrest and they are not treated their posibilities of survival decreases to a 10 %. After 8 to 10 minutes, they will not be able to survive. 

Probabilities of survival a cardiac arrest, in terms of time
consumed until resucitation maneuvers start.

Parliamentary bill

I wish we could avoid it. But wishes go nowhere. That’s why a group of professionals have joined our efforts in www.EdCiv.Emerg to ask our authorities to include Civil Protection and Emergencies content at school. Our aim is simple. We want so save lives: my son, your son, your neighbour, any human being around you who may need your help. To this aim, our local Government will present a parliamentary initiative next week to include these contents in a new subject at school. We are talking about very basic principles that can be applied by any one in case of an emergency. Starting from the very beginning.: Protect (yourself and the victim) Alert (the emergency services by calling 112 in Europe- 911 in the USA) and Save. 

In the USA a proposal to require hands-on CPR practice in high school resuscitation programs has passed the Senate. 

I hope Spanish proposal goes on the same way.