First Aid CPR AED BLS certification in New York

Important Skills To Have When Administering First Aid

Aug 9, 2021Feb 21, 2024 Shane Woodall

Imagine that you’re working at your office, eating dinner at your table, or walking down the road. Then, one moment, you hear a thud, and a coworker, family member, or stranger collapses. What will you do? How will you help them in this moment of crisis? Here are the most important skills to have when administering first aid.

Know CPR

The most important lifesaving skill is CPR, or cardiopulmonary resuscitation. This technique can pump blood and oxygen to the brain and vital organs of an unresponsive person. If you want to grow your knowledge, the best way to do so is by obtaining a first aid CPR AED training certification with an organization like Frontline Health. Our team conducts frequent first aid training, so sign yourself up today.

Know How To Handle Choking

Choking is a common and life-threatening situation. If you’ve ever had a piece of food go down the wrong way, you know the panic of not being able to breathe. Choking is scary for the person with a blocked airway. It’s up to bystanders like you to administer first aid to clear the blockage. The simplest method for doing this is to provide abdominal thrusts, which involves standing behind the person, placing your fist just above the navel, grasping your fist with your other hand, and giving forceful thrusts in and up at about a 45-degree angle. The pressure and force can often dislodge the item.

Know Allergy Response

Another common medical emergency is severe allergic reactions. If you want to help someone who has a severe reaction to something like peanuts or bee stings, you should know how to administer an epinephrine auto injector. Imagine a person whose airway is swelling shut, and their only hope is an EpiPen. Taking a first aid course will teach you how and when to use this lifesaving medical device.

Know Wound Care

Those administering first aid must know how to treat abrasions, lacerations, and punctures wounds. Abrasions are superficial skin wounds that require washing with soap and water and application of a small bandage. Lacerations are a bit more challenging; these wounds can have smooth or jagged edges that go deeper than an abrasion. To stop the bleeding from a laceration, use firm direct pressure and apply a clean dressing. Cover the dressing with a bandage and have the person follow up with a healthcare provider or go to an urgent care center. Due to their complexity, lacerations will likely need stitches for proper healing. Puncture wounds occur when an object penetrates deeply through the skin. These wounds will require a visit to an urgent care center because the object and bacteria can end up deep inside the wound.

Remember these important skills to have when administering first aid. Contact us at Frontline Health to find the best class for your professional or personal safety needs.

Can You Do CPR if You’re Not Certified?

Aug 2, 2021Aug 2, 2021 Shane Woodall

Imagine that you’re at work when a coworker suddenly collapses. They are experiencing a sudden cardiac arrest. You may not know the underlying reason for their condition, and you do not know how to help them. You vaguely remember the basics of cardiopulmonary resuscitation, but is that enough? Can you do CPR if you’re not certified?

The Quick Answer

If you want a quick answer to the question, “Can you do CPR if you’re not certified?” then look no further. Yes! Anyone can perform CPR. You do not need training to be able to perform CPR on an unresponsive person. Providing compression-only CPR is simple and easy. Call 9-1-1. Place the heel of one hand on the center of the chest and place the other hand on top of the first and push hard (at least 2 inches) and fast (100 – 120 compressions per minute) until EMS providers arrive.

Why Training Is Better

While compression-only CPR is simple enough for anyone to learn, If you want to deliver high quality cardiopulmonary resuscitation to your family member, friend, or coworker, you need proper training. CPR classes will help you learn the correct positions, procedures, and methods to make a life-saving difference in a medical emergency.

How To Become Certified

The easiest and simplest way to learn CPR is through a CPR certification course. In this classroom environment, you will learn the basics of CPR along with the reasoning behind them. You will also practice CPR with hands-on activities, including compressions and breaths on a CPR mannikin. If you want to prepare yourself to act in an emergency, check out our first aid CPR AED certification classes in NYC. Find our schedule at Frontline Health and learn how to save a life today.

What Cardiac Arrest in Pediatrics Is Most Commonly Caused By

Jul 14, 2021Jul 14, 2021 Shane Woodall

Children should live their youth free from medical worries and health problems. However, this idealistic vision of childhood doesn’t account for accidents, preexisting health conditions, and more. Kids sometimes face unforeseen health challenges. If you want to learn more about cardiac arrest in particular, here is what cardiac arrest in pediatrics is most commonly caused by.

Respiratory Problems

In medicine, a disease or condition’s etiology refers to its origins and causes. For children with cardiac arrest, the most probable etiological source is a respiratory problem. These respiratory issues can range from one-off incidents like choking to lifelong conditions like asthma or allergies. Other heart-linked respiratory events include smoke inhalation and drowning—both of which stem from life-threatening breathing difficulty that can lead to cardiac arrest.

Cardiac Conditions

Another way children can experience cardiac arrest is through underlying heart conditions. Congenital heart disease and structural cardiac disease are the most common of these causes. Congenital heart disease is a birth defect referring to heart abnormalities from birth. This means an infant’s heart operates abnormally and will require lifelong monitoring for complications. Structural cardiac disease is similar to congenital disease, but it includes all structural changes that develop over a person’s lifetime. Age and underlying diseases can cause this condition to take full effect. If you don’t know whether your child’s heart is structurally intact, you should visit a cardiologist for a full evaluation.

Traumatic Events

While many people know about trauma in the psychological sense, trauma also refers to injurious physical contact. For example, blunt force trauma to the chest happens when a quick, jarring movement sends a large amount of force into the body, resulting in injury. Traumatic events that cause cardiac arrest in children include blunt trauma to the chest or head, drowning, or severe bleeding.

Knowing what cardiac arrest in pediatrics is most commonly caused by help parents and childcare professionals better handle medical emergencies. If you need to refresh your BLS training, check out our course schedule online. We are one of the top training sites for American Heart healthcare providers BLS certification in NYC, so trust our professional instructors to teach you the best pediatric CPR and BLS techniques.

The Proper CPR Sequence To Follow

Jun 28, 2021Jun 28, 2021 Shane Woodall

While anyone can provide cardiopulmonary resuscitation, you should follow the correct steps for it to be most effective. If you need a quick guide to refresh your memory or prepare you for CPR class, here is the proper CPR sequence to follow.

Assess the Situation

When you encounter a person who appears to be unresponsive, the first thing you should do is check for responsiveness by tapping the shoulders and shouting, “Are you OK?” If they do not respond and are not breathing normally or are only gasping, ask a bystander to call 9-1-1 or do this yourself. With help on the way, your CPR will serve as the bridge of life between the incident and the arrival of advanced providers.

Begin CPR With Chest Compressions

The CPR sequence begins with chest compressions. For adults, place the heel of one hand in the center of the chest on the lower half of the breast bone, along the nipple line, and place the other hand on top of the first. Push hard into their chest, at least two inches deep. Keep pushing at a rate of 100–120 compressions per minute for a total of thirty chest compressions. A simple way to maintain that pace is by compressing to the rhythm of The Bee Gee’s “Stayin’ Alive.”

Follow With Rescue Breaths

After the 30 chest compressions, give two rescue breaths. Place your mouth directly over the person’s mouth and breathe into their lungs. To do this, simply tilt the person’s head back and pinch their nose closed. Next, place your mouth over theirs and form a tight seal so that no air escapes. Then, blow slowly for about one second. Let the air out and immediately give a second breath. Look for the chest to rise slightly with each breath. Continue the CPR sequence with 30 chest compressions and two breaths until help arrives.

Knowing the proper CPR sequence to follow can be the difference between life and death for someone in an emergency. While a quick guide can help in a pinch, it is best to receive hands-on training from a certified CPR Instructor. Check out our hands-on CPR AED certification in NYC at Frontline Health, and find a class that fits into your schedule.

How To Properly Perform Pediatric CPR

Jun 10, 2021Jun 10, 2021 Shane Woodall

Imagine that you work in childcare, volunteer with youth, or have a baby of your own, and a crisis occurs. How will you handle an unresponsive child? You must have answers to this question before anything life-threatening happens. Here is how to properly perform pediatric CPR.

Engage and Call Before Helping

First, check to see if the child or infant is unresponsive. To check a child for responsiveness, tap their shoulders and shout, “Are you okay?” To check an infant under one year old, tap on the bottom of their foot. If they are unresponsive, you know they need immediate care.

You should always call 911 to ensure help is on the way quickly. If others are nearby, ask them to call 911. The more quickly that trained responders can arrive at the scene, the better the outcome will be.

Check Breathing and Start Compressions

The first thing you must do is check for breathing. Check to see if the child or infant is breathing normally or is only gasping. If their chest is rising and falling smoothly, quietly, and rhythmically, they do not need CPR. If they are not breathing normally, are only gasping, or you are not sure, you should begin chest compressions immediately.

This is where pediatric CPR differs slightly from adult CPR. Since children are smaller, you must adapt your force when administering chest compressions. Follow these quick steps for your compressions:

– Gently lay the child on their back on a firm, flat surface.

– Place one or two hands on the center of their chest on the lower half of their breastbone. For infants, you will only use two fingers or two thumbs on their breastbone.

– Then, perform compressions. For infants, press down about one and a half inches into their chest. For children, press down about two inches.

– Give the 30 chest compressions at a rate of 100 to 120 compressions per minute. You can use the rhythm of the song “Stayin’ Alive” as a general guideline. Remember to let their chest recoil completely between compressions

Add Rescue Breaths

– Open the child’s airway by tilting their head back and lifting the chin up.

– Give two small breaths—just enough to let the chest begin to rise, about 1 second for each breath. For a child, pinch their nose with your thumb and index finger and seal your mouth over their mouth. For an infant, seal your mouth over both their mouth and nose. Continue this sequence of 30 compressions and two breaths until help arrives.

Remember that it is always best to learn how to properly perform pediatric CPR from a licensed CPR trainer in an official program. While these quick tips can help you in an emergency, you should check out our CPR AED classes in New York. Our team at Frontline Health has years of experience training and certifying people of all backgrounds and ages in pediatric CPR methods.