Photo Credit: Milan Degraeve (Unsplash)
Nobody wants to entertain the prospect of themselves or a family member being involved in an accident or medical emergency. However, having the knowledge and skills to act confidently in an emergency could mean the difference between life and death. While we aren’t all capable of getting a medical degree, there are a handful of basic life-saving skills that everyone could benefit from learning by taking comprehensive life support training courses.
To break it down, we’ve made a list of the top life-saving skills a person needs, and that should be covered in any decent basic life-saving skills course:
CPR
Most of us are familiar with CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) from the media. This is when you perform chest compressions that allow blood to circulate to the brain and throughout the body. Knowing how to properly perform CPR is essential in life-saving, as without it, cardiac arrest would lead to death. Acting quickly also increases the patient’s chance of survival.
Heimlich Maneuver
This procedure needs to be performed when a person’s airway becomes obstructed, and they begin choking. When air can’t pass through the throat or windpipe into the lungs, oxygen stops getting to the brain, which is hugely problematic. This type of obstruction is generally caused by food, but in the case of children, it can be caused by other foreign bodies they’ve accidentally swallowed. The Heimlich Maneuver is intended to clear the airways with upward thrusts, which put pressure on the diaphragm and chest cavity. In turn, this forces air out of the lungs and through the windpipe to dislodge the blockage.
Recognizing the Signs of a Heart Attack
Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the world. The vast majority of these deaths are caused by heart attacks which occur when the artery that supplies the heart muscle becomes clogged with fat and cholesterol over time. This buildup stiffens up the artery walls, decreasing the blood flow or cutting it off completely. We might have an image of a heart attack being associated with chest pain, but this isn’t always the case. Taking a basic life-saving course will help you notice other symptoms that could help you get the person to the hospital sooner.
Spotting the Signs of a Stroke
Strokes occur when blood vessels taking blood and oxygen to the brain become blocked. Within minutes of a blockage occurring, brain cells begin to die, and you have a medical emergency on your hands. While we expect strokes to occur in elderly people, young people can suffer from a stroke too. Learning how to recognize the signs of a stroke means you can access professional medical support sooner and potentially save a life or limit damage.
By taking the initiative by enrolling in a basic life-saving skills course, you’ll be empowering yourself with the skills and knowledge needed to take control in an emergency situation and perform procedures that could make a huge difference to a person’s chance of survival. You never know when these skills could come in handy. Don’t delay, and sign up for a course today.
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