Isabel talks with Dr. Matthew Levy, Medical Director of the Howard County Department of Fire and Rescue Services. They discuss the traits of high quality CPR, steps to improving the entire emergency response system, and bridging the gap between emergency dispatchers and responders...
In medical emergencies involving out-of-hospital cardiac arrests (OHCAs), bystanders reasonably, but sometimes incorrectly, expect that a call to 911 will result in a dispatcher guiding the caller through the steps of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). The primary objective of this research is to investigate the role of the dispatcher and dispatcher-assisted telephone-CPR (TCPR) in survival rates of OHCAs. This naturally led to an evaluation of the data collection practices of public safety answering points (PSAPs), emergency medical service (EMS) and fire departments, and hospitals for...
Isabel Gardett talks with EJ Hinterman, captain of the Draper City Fire Department, and Holly Downs, a training coordinator for Salt Lake Valley Emergency Communications Center, about a metronome study they both recently participated in. They discuss the low percentage of bystanders who are comfortable with providing CPR, how to get people to perform CPR at the correct rate, and the value of emergency dispatchers and responders participating in research...
Isabel talks with Marc Gay, one of the world's foremost experts on CPR and resuscitation. They discuss the levels of evidence for which resuscitation research qualifies, when to use ventilation first and when to use compressions first, and the future of dispatch-assisted CPR...
Although it makes up only about 1-2% of all emergency calls for help, sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) remains one of the most deadly—and one of the most hotly debated—topics in emergency services. Emergency Medical Dispatchers (EMDs) can play a critical role in improving survival rates for victims of SCA. In order to provide the most timely, effective care, EMDs must first identify that an SCA is occurring, then move quickly to provide instructions for bystander CPR. To support the achievement of these twin goals, the American Heart Association (AHA) has recently released proposed standards for...