Save a Life: CPR/AED and First Aid classes with The American Red Cross of Greater Chicago

Established in 1863 in the aftermath of the War of Italian Unification, the International Committee of the Red Cross was the chief force behind the development of international humanitarian law. Its original mission included providing health care to wounded soldiers and civilians, and providing information to families of wounded or captured soldiers.

140 years later, the mission of the Red Cross still includes rendering strictly neutral and impartial protection and assistance to people affected by armed conflict and internal disturbances. However, their services have also been greatly expanded. The Red Cross now provides disaster services, blood supply, humanitarian relief, and health and safety education and training. It is this latter service that brings nine students and an instructor to a classroom at the Chicago headquarters of the Red Cross on a recent Thursday morning.

The class is Adult First Aid/CPR/Automated External Defibrillator (AED). Instructor Erica Garcia begins the class by passing out literature and enough packets of first aid supplies to make the room feel a little like a set in ER. She gives a brief introduction and shows the first part of a video that outlines some of the emergency situations that the skills we are about to learn can be used in. While hardly Academy Award quality, the video certainly underlines to me how woefully unprepared I would be to react to someone who's choking, bleeding, unconscious, or having trouble breathing.

The first hands-on portion of the class involves dealing with a conscious choking victim. Class members pair up and take turns hugging the "victim" from behind and giving simulated abdominal thrusts. Garcia stresses "simulated", assuring us we would not appreciate the consequences of the real thing! Students quickly get over the uneasiness of a practice that places us in such intimate proximity to a near-stranger and get into the spirit of the training. Garcia circulates and makes suggestions for improving our technique.

The training continues with directions on how to treat an unconscious victim, how to treat an unconscious choking victim, how to perform rescue breathing (mouth-to-mouth resuscitation) and Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR), and how to use an AED. This part o f the training is probably the most familiar to viewers of medical TV shows and films, though we work with plastic torso and head models. Most interesting is the AED, an amazing device about the size of a laptop computer and a price tag usually under $3,000, that can not only save a life, but tells you how to operate it in the process. The AED interprets heart rhythms and can deliver electrical shocks to treat cardiac arrest.

While one should not operate an AED without being certified, the device is almost self-explanatory. This portion of the training takes perhaps half an hour. The device's mechanical voice talks you through the entire procedure. The rescuer applies the defibrillation pads on the victim's bare chest and lower left side, then the machine takes over. It reminds you not to touch the victim while it analyzes the victim's heart rate, instructs the rescuer as to whether a shock is recommended, and warns you to stand back if and when the shock is administered. It then reanalyzes the heart rhythm to determine if a further shock or CPR is advised.

The CPR training is also interesting. The plastic chests of our mannequin "victims" expand and contract if rescue breaths are properly administered. The model is also flexible enough to see if CPR compressions are being done correctly.

The training is entirely and understandably simulated. There's no way to determine how a non-professional rescuer is going to respond in a real, stressful, possibly life-threatening scenario. However, "Course participants do report a high level of comfort if required to respond to an emergency," according to Red Cross Director of Education Matthew Baetke. "98% of students indicated that they would be able to act confidently in identifying an emergency situation and 95% felt that they were prepared to respond to an emergency situation."

CPR and AED certifications are only good for one year. Annual re-certification helps refresh the skills for these practices.

The introductory class also includes basic first aid. We learn how to treat a bleeding victim, and fashion and apply a sling for a victim with an injured body part. The training not only includes teaching the rescuer how to help an injured or sick party, but how to protect ourselves when doing so. All scenarios covered include the requirement to check the scene to avoid injury to oneself. Our training packets include disposable latex gloves that we use in our practice. We even use a breathing barrier when administering rescue breaths to the mannequin. The training concludes with a section on preventing disease transmission.

A brief, multiple-choice test is administered by Garcia at the end of the course. This, plus Garcia's observation of our first aid and CPR/AED techniques lead to participants receiving a one year certification in standard first aid, adult CPR/AED, and in preventing disease transmission.

I don't know if I'm ready to go out and start saving lives, but I definitely feel more qualified should such a situation arise. According to the Red Cross, 250,000 people die each year of sudden cardiac arrest. While it is not known how many could have been saved by an AED or CPR, it is known that every minute a victim does not receive defibrillation decreases the chance of survival by ten percent. "The Red Cross doesn't keep records of how many lives are saved through its classes," according to Baetke, but they do know anecdotally that a few have been. In addition to CPR and AED, others are saved through their training on assisting someone who is choking.

In addition to providing training at their own facilities in Chicago and the suburbs, the Red Cross also offers training at many area businesses, park districts, community centers, and schools. Courses are not limited to adult CPR/AED and first aid, and also covers the following:

• children's first aid and CPR
• babysitter's training
• aquatics: including lifeguard training, small craft safety, and swimming
• HIV/AIDS education
• disaster preparedness education
• instructor courses

Schedules are available by phoning the Red Cross customer service department at 1-800-33-SAFETY or online at www.chicagoredcross.org (click on the "Get Educated" link).

CPR training is also available through the American Heart Association. Contact them at 312-346-4675 or on the web at www.americanheart.org.

In addition, many local hospitals, park districts, and private businesses offer CPR training in the Chicago area.

This article originally appeared in the Winter 2003-2004 issue of Chicago Learning Guide Magazine.

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