Strategic Practice Solutions Shares "What Everyone Should Know About the Changes in CPR!"

Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) has changed significantly over the years.  As part of your dental office management team, you most likely arrange for your staff to be trained and certified accordingly.  However, if you haven’t taken a course in the last five years you may be shocked at how CPR has evolved.  It’s especially amazing to think that standardized training for CPR has only been around for 40 years.  We hope you enjoy this brief look back on the evolution of CPR. 

The Early Years

CPR was first documented in 1740 Paris, as a way to try resuscitate drowning victims with forced air into their mouth.  It wasn’t until 1903 that Dr. George Crile successfully resuscitated a human by using chest compressions.  In 1956, Peter Safar and James Elam invented mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, which the U.S. military adopted to revive victims the following year. 

Standardized Training

The American Heart Association (AHA) formally endorsed CPR starting in 1963.  However, standardized training, called Medic 2, was not in place until 1972.  Leonard Cobb helped train over 100,000 people during the first two years of this program. 
Emergency dispatchers were trained starting in 1981, to provide telephone instructions to on-scene caregivers, while they wait for backup EMT personnel.  Recognizing the need for alternate guidelines for infants and children, The American Academy of Pediatrics co-sponsored the first pediatric courses in 1988.  In 2005, the AHA brought CPR training into the comfort of your living room with the Family & Friends® CPR Anytime® kit. This kit educated participants on the basics of CPR, AED, and choking assistance in just 20 minutes. 

Big Change Shakeup

Probably the most significant changes occurred starting in 2008 when the American Heart Association began recommending the Hands-Only™ CPR method.  Followed up by their 2010 changed from the ABCs (Airway-Breathing-Compressions to the recommended CAB (Compressions-Airway-Breathing.)  These changes make it clear that chest compressions are the most effective part of CPR and should be started immediately when encountering an unresponsive victim.  The Hands-Only™ method was created in hopes of increasing bystander CPR, because it removes the fear of disease transfer via mouth-to-mouth.

At Strategic Practice Solutions, we offer CPR training certification workshops in our office, or we’ll come to you.  You will find that all of our workshops, from radiology to leadership and beyond, are lead by experts who will transform your staff into a winning team!  Strategic Practice Solutions is the ultimate partner to ensure your dental office management is a success!

Contact us today to schedule your session, or for group discount information! 

Resources to Learn More:

http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/CPRAndECC/WhatisCPR/CPRFactsandStats/History-of-CPR_UCM_307549_Article.jsp

http://www.bostonmagazine.com/the-changing-approach-to-cpr/

http://wemakeitsafer.com/blog/2011/05/cpr-has-changed-what-you-need-to-know/

http://www.nbcnews.com/id/39715696/ns/health-heart_health/t/cpr-switch-chest-presses-first-then-give-breaths/#.UxiYi85QYtw