How and why you should get basic life support (BLS) training

What is Basic Life Support?

Basic life support (BLS) training can help provide efficient care promptly. During a medical emergency, the time it takes to get the proper patient treatment is a direct factor in the patient’s recovery. BLS training provides you with the necessary skill set to deliver effective care to improve patient outcomes.

Here are some of the skills you will learn when taking a BLS course. The information provided is from the American Red Cross website, which you can visit if you want to learn more or sign up for classes yourself!

Rapid Assessment and Visual Survey:

• Assess: Form an initial impression of the patient and evaluate your resources. Do you need backup? During this time, you would also call 9-1-1 so an ambulance, like Med-Care EMS, can quickly make its way over to you.
• Recognize: Check for responsiveness. If a patient is unresponsive, check to see if they breathe and have a pulse.
• Care: If the patient is unresponsive, is not breathing, and without a pulse, then you must start CPR.

How to Perform Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR):

CPR is a life-saving technique you use during a cardiac or breathing emergency. Listed below are some simple steps you can use to provide CPR. However, it is essential to remember that performing CPR correct can be difficult. Continue training and renew your CPR certification on time!

1. Check for scene safety while also obtaining an initial impression on the patient. During this time, you should also have your personal protective equipment (PPE) on hand.
2. If the person seems unresponsive, check for responsiveness, any airway obstruction, breathing, and pulse. If the person is unresponsive, not breathing, or has difficulty breathing, call 9-1-1.
3. Find a firm flat surface to place the person on and give 30 chest compressions. According to the American Red Cross, the proper way to do it is by having two hands on the center of the chest with your shoulders directly over your hands and elbows are locked. Compress the chest at least 2 inches deep at a rate of 100-120 per minute. Remember to allow for chest recoil after each compression.
4. Give two breaths: Make sure the airway is open in a neutral position and have each breath last about 1 second each. The chest will rise if you have a proper seal and deliver the breath correctly.
5. Continue giving 30 compressions every two breaths. Use an AED if it is available.

Medical emergencies can be scary, and it is easy to panic. Just remember to take deep breaths and remain calm. By learning these skills, you become a valuable asset in a medical emergency because it buys the ambulance and the physician’s time to treat the patient properly. Our EMTs and paramedics on staff are always ready, traveling all over the Rio Grande Valley and beyond. Med-Care EMS is here for you, at only a call away.

Learn more visit us on social media @medcare911 today!