cardiopulmonary resuscitation

Artificial respiration is a technique for providing air for a person who is not breathing on their own but whose heart is still beating. The provider breathes into the other person's lungs, preferably with the assistance of a barrier device. Artificial respiration is part of performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) but is also performed separately, especially in near-drowning and similar situation ...

Including:

• Artificial respiration - Insufflations
• Artificial respiration - Oxygen
• Artificial respiration - History

Read more here: » Artificial respiration: Encyclopedia - Artificial respiration

Insufflation is the act of mechanically forcing air into a patient's respiratory system. In the United States and other countries, these are known simply as "rescue breaths", "breaths" or "ventilations". Insufflations must only be provided to patients in a state of respiratory arrest; do not provide insufflations to a weakly breathing patient. If you cannot detect the breath of the patient, and when reporting has been properly done ...

See also:

Artificial respiration, Artificial respiration - Insufflations, Artificial respiration - Oxygen, Artificial respiration - History

Read more here: » Artificial respiration: Encyclopedia II - Artificial respiration - Insufflations

Cardiac arrhythmia is a group of conditions in which the muscle contraction of the heart is irregular or is faster or slower than normal. Cardiac dysrhythmia is technically more correct, as arrhythmia would imply that there is "no rhythm," but this term is not used frequently. Some arrhythmias are life-threatening medical emergencies that can cause cardiac arrest and sudden death. Others cause aggravating symptoms, such as an awareness of the heart beat palpitation that can be annoying. Some are quite benign and normal. ...

Including:

• Cardiac arrhythmia - Frequency too high/low
• Cardiac arrhythmia - Fibrillation
• Cardiac arrhythmia - Origin of impulse
• Cardiac arrhythmia - Automaticity
• Cardiac arrhythmia - Reentry
• Cardiac arrhythmia - Diagnosis
• Cardiac arrhythmia - SADS
• Cardiac arrhythmia - List of common cardiac dysrhythmias
• Cardiac arrhythmia - Antiarrhythmic therapies
• Cardiac arrhythmia - Related topics

Read more here: » Cardiac arrhythmia: Encyclopedia - Cardiac arrhythmia

An electric shock can occur upon contact of a human or animal body with any source of voltage high enough to cause sufficient current flow through the muscles or nerves. The minimum detectable current in humans is thought to be about 1 mA. The current may cause tissue damage or heart fibrillation if it is sufficiently high. Electric shock - Description. An electric shock is usually painful and can be lethal. The level of voltage is not a direct guide to the level of injury or danger of death, despite the co ...

Including:

• Electric shock - Description
• Electric shock - 'Let go' current
• Electric shock - Shock effects
• Electric shock - Psychological
• Electric shock - Physiological
• Electric shock - Issues affecting lethality
• Electric shock - Avoiding danger of shock
• Electric shock - Shock due to differing ground potentials
• Electric shock - First aid
• Electric shock - Deliberate uses
• Electric shock - Electric shock as medical treatment
• Electric shock - Torture
• Electric shock - Capital punishment
• Electric shock - Games

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The chemical compound acetylcholine, often abbreviated as ACh, was the first neurotransmitter to be identified. It is a chemical transmitter in both the peripheral nervous system (PNS) and central nervous system (CNS) in many organisms including humans. Acetylcholine - Chemistry. Acetylcholine is an ester of acetic acid and choline with chemical formula CH3COOCH2CH2N+(CH3) ...

Including:

• Acetylcholine - Chemistry
• Acetylcholine - Release sites
• Acetylcholine - Pharmacology
• Acetylcholine - Sources

Read more here: » Acetylcholine: Encyclopedia - Acetylcholine

Bloating is any abnormal general swelling, or increase in diameter of the abdominal area. As a symptom, the patient feels a full and tight abdomen, which may cause abdominal pain. sometimes accompanied by borborygmus. Bloating may have several causes, the most common being accumulation of liquids and intestinal gas. Ascites is the proper medical term for abdominal bloating caused by excessive accumulation of liquid inside the cavity. Common causes for abdominal bloating are: Overeating (gastric distension)

The heart (Latin cor) is a hollow, muscular organ that pumps blood through the blood vessels by repeated, rhythmic contractions. The term cardiac means "related to the heart", from the Greek kardia (καρδια) for "heart". Heart - The human heart. Heart - Early development. The human embryonic heart (EHR) begins beating at approximately 21 days after conception, or five weeks after the last normal menstrual period (LMP), which is the date normally used to ...

Including:

• Heart - The human heart
• Heart - Early development
• Heart - Structure
• Heart - The cardiac cycle
• Heart - Regulation of the cardiac cycle
• Heart - Other physiological functions
• Heart - Diseases and treatments
• Heart - First aid
• Heart - The hearts of other animals
• Heart - Heartbeat
• Heart - Food use
• Heart - As an icon

Read more here: » Heart: Encyclopedia - Heart

A cardiac arrest is the cessation of normal circulation of the blood due to failure of the ventricles of the heart to contract effectively during systole. The resulting lack of blood supply results in cell death from oxygen starvation. Cerebral hypoxia, or lack of oxygen supply to the brain, causes victims to lose consciousness and stop breathing. Cardiac arrest is a medical emergency that, if left untreated, invariably leads to death within seconds to minutes. The primary first-aid treatment for cardiac arrest is cardiopulm ...

Including:

• Cardiac arrest - Etiology
• Cardiac arrest - Treatable causes
• Cardiac arrest - Diagnosis
• Cardiac arrest - Treatment
• Cardiac arrest - First aid
• Cardiac arrest - Other prehospital care
• Cardiac arrest - Hospital treatment
• Cardiac arrest - Ethical Issues

Read more here: » Cardiac arrest: Encyclopedia - Cardiac arrest

In the United States a community emergency response team (CERT) is a group of amateur emergency workers. They are usually neighbors. Under good doctrine, they receive professional mass training and become official auxiliaries to local government emergency services in times of emergency. The theory behind CERT is based on a simple observation: in major emergencies, professional emergency services overload instantly. Every area in the world has earthquakes and tornadoes, and the most common disasters are floods and severe ...

Including:

• Community emergency response team - CERT organization
• Community emergency response team - The Community Emergency Response
• Community emergency response team - Step 1: Self Rescue
• Community emergency response team - Step 2: Family Rescue
• Community emergency response team - Step 3: Neighborhood rescue
• Community emergency response team - Step 4. Coordination with Regional Authorities
• Community emergency response team - Step 5. Local sheltering
• Community emergency response team - Training and Organization
• Community emergency response team - CERT TEAMS

Read more here: » Community emergency response team: Encyclopedia - Community emergency response team

ALS is a three-letter abbreviation with multiple meanings, as described below: Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a form of motor neurone disease more commonly known as Lou Gehrig's disease or Maladie de Charcot Advanced Life Support, a protocolised form of cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Automatic Landing System, an instrument based Landing System. Audio Lossless Coding, part of the MPEG-4 standard for aud ...

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Vehicle extrication is the process of removing a person from a vehicle that has been involved in a motor vehicle accident when conventional means of exit are impossible or unadvisable. This is typically accomplished by utilizing hydraulic tools, including the Jaws of Life. Vehicle extrication - Operations. The extrication consists of four steps: the protection of the zone, to avoid a risk of collision (marking out the zone, lighting) and of fire (switching off the ignition, disconnecting the ba ...

Including:

• Vehicle extrication - Operations
• Vehicle extrication - Additional risks with new technologies
• Vehicle extrication - External links

Read more here: » Vehicle extrication: Encyclopedia - Vehicle extrication

A certified first responder is a person who has completed forty to sixty hours of training in providing care for medical emergencies. They have more skill than someone who is trained in first aid but are not emergency medical technicians. The American Red Cross conducts a course titled "Emergency Response" that fits this definition. Certified first responder - History. The U.S. Department of Transportation (D.O.T.) recognized a gap between the typical eight hours training required for providin ...

Including:

• Certified first responder - History
• Certified first responder - First Responder Skills and Limitations
• Certified first responder - Traditional First Responders
• Certified first responder - Non Traditional First Responders
• Certified first responder - First responders in France
• Certified first responder - Education CFAPSE

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Depending on your training and environment, you might have an oxygen first aid set at your disposal. If a patient is in a state of respiratory arrest, use a 100% mask (airtight mask) and an air balloon. This will help you ventilate the patient with pure oxygen, while "manual" insufflations will only provide about 17% oxygen to the patient. A patient whose lungs are full of pure oxygen can stay in apnea for nearly 30 minutes (half an hour). Thus, pure oxygen is a great help which will allow you to perform urgent duty and ...

See also:

Artificial respiration, Artificial respiration - Insufflations, Artificial respiration - Oxygen, Artificial respiration - History

Read more here: » Artificial respiration: Encyclopedia II - Artificial respiration - Oxygen

The extrication consists of four steps: the protection of the zone, to avoid a risk of collision (marking out the zone, lighting) and of fire (switching off the ignition, disconnecting the battery, absorbing powder on oil and gasoline pools, fire extinguisher and fire hose ready to use) ; the stabilisation of the vehicle, to avoid the movements of the vehicle itself (e.g. falling in a ditch), and the movements of the suspension (risk of worsening of an unstable trauma) ; the opening of the vehicle and ...

See also:

Vehicle extrication, Vehicle extrication - Operations, Vehicle extrication - Additional risks with new technologies, Vehicle extrication - External links

Read more here: » Vehicle extrication: Encyclopedia II - Vehicle extrication - Operations

Heart - Structure. In the human body, the heart is normally situated slightly to the left of the middle of the thorax, underneath the sternum (breastbone). It is enclosed by a sac known as the pericardium and is surrounded by the lungs. In normal adults, its mass is 250-350 g, but extremely diseased hearts can be up to 1000 g in mass. It consists of four chambers, the two upper atria (singular: atrium< ...

See also:

Heart, Heart - The human heart, Heart - Structure, Heart - The cardiac cycle, Heart - Regulation of the cardiac cycle, Heart - Other physiological functions, Heart - Diseases and treatments, Heart - First aid, Heart - The hearts of other animals, Heart - Heartbeat, Heart - Food use, Heart - As an icon

Read more here: » Heart: Encyclopedia II - Heart - The human heart

Community emergency response team - Step 1: Self Rescue. Each individual reaches into their grab-and-go bag, gets a flashlight, and puts on their shoes. It's very tempting to check the family first, but glass on the floor can instantly create a casualty if one is bare-foot. To prevent their injury, children should be trained to wait for a parent unless they see fire or feel heat. The fam ...

See also:

Community emergency response team, Community emergency response team - CERT organization, Community emergency response team - CERT Team Member Roles, Community emergency response team - The Community Emergency Response, Community emergency response team - Step 1: Self Rescue, Community emergency response team - Step 2: Family Rescue, Community emergency response team - Step 3: Neighborhood rescue, Community emergency response team - Step 4. Coordination with Regional Authorities, Community emergency response team - Step 5. Local sheltering, Community emergency response team - Training and Organization, Community emergency response team - CERT TEAMS

Read more here: » Community emergency response team: Encyclopedia II - Community emergency response team - The Community Emergency Response

The proper way to handle a medical emergency is to activate emergency medical services by calling for help using a local emergency telephone number, such as 911 in Canada or the United States, 999 in the UK, 112 in most of continental Europe, 119 in South Korea, 000 in Australia and 111 in New Zealand. Operators will generally require the caller's name and location and some information on person that is being called about (level of consciousness, injuries, name ...

See also:

Medical emergency, Medical emergency - Response, Medical emergency - Clinical response

Read more here: » Medical emergency: Encyclopedia II - Medical emergency - Response

The effort and difficulty of a rescue varies widely and depends on many factors such as the nature of the problem, the underwater conditions and the type and depth of the dive site. A simple rescue could be to tow to safety a diver on the surface who is exhausted or suffering from leg cramps. A complex and high-risk rescue would be to locate, free and bring to the surface a lost diver who is trapped underwater in an enclosed space such as a ship ...

See also:

Diver rescue, Diver rescue - Reasons for needing rescue, Diver rescue - Rescuers and training, Diver rescue - Rescue activities, Diver rescue - Locating the casualty underwater, Diver rescue - Free the trapped casualty, Diver rescue - Provide emergency gas, Diver rescue - Bring the casualty to the surface, Diver rescue - Make the casualty buoyant on the surface, Diver rescue - Carrying out artificial ventilation in the water, Diver rescue - Attracting help, Diver rescue - Towing the casualty, Diver rescue - Removing the casualty from the water, Diver rescue - Resuscitate provide first aid and arrange transport to professional medical help, Diver rescue - Precautions during the rescue, Diver rescue - Sources

Read more here: » Diver rescue: Encyclopedia II - Diver rescue - Rescue activities

ALS presumes that basic life support (bag-mask administration of oxygen and chest compressions) are administered. The main algorithm of ALS, which is invoked when actual cardiac arrest has been established, relies on the monitoring of the electrical activity of the heart on a cardiac monitor. Depending on the type of cardiac arrhythmia, defibrillation is applied, and medication is administered. Oxygen is administered and endotracheal intubation may be attempted to secure the airway. At regular intervals, the effect of the treatment on the heart rhythm, ...

See also:

Advanced Life Support, Advanced Life Support - Main algorithm, Advanced Life Support - Other conditions, Advanced Life Support - External link

Read more here: » Advanced Life Support: Encyclopedia II - Advanced Life Support - Main algorithm

Myocardial infarction - Ischemia and infarction. The underlying mechanism of a heart attack is the destruction of heart muscle cells due to a lack of oxygen. If these cells are not supplied with sufficient oxygen by the coronary arteries to meet their metabolic demands, they die by a process called infarction. The decrease in blood supply has the following consequences: Heart muscle which has lost blood flow long enough, e.g. 10-15 minutes, dies (necrosis) and does not grow back. A collagensca ...

See also:

Myocardial infarction, Myocardial infarction - Symptoms, Myocardial infarction - Diagnosis, Myocardial infarction - Electrocardiogram, Myocardial infarction - Myocardial markers, Myocardial infarction - Pathophysiology, Myocardial infarction - Ischemia and infarction, Myocardial infarction - Atherosclerosis, Myocardial infarction - First aid, Myocardial infarction - Immediate care, Myocardial infarction - Emergency services, Myocardial infarction - Wilderness first aid, Myocardial infarction - Air travel, Myocardial infarction - Treatment, Myocardial infarction - First line, Myocardial infarction - Reperfusion, Myocardial infarction - Monitoring and follow-up, Myocardial infarction - History

Read more here: » Myocardial infarction: Encyclopedia II - Myocardial infarction - Pathophysiology