LifeSaver CPR

Would you know what to do if someone in front of you collapsed? Could you provide aid until EMS arrived? This video has great information and is worth the 5 minutes to watch. Hands-only CPR, or Continuous Chest Compressions, which meets the guidelines for AHA HeartSaver CPR and First Aid Training. Continuous CPR ensures constant blood flow to the brain and heart which greatly increases the chances for survival. *Health care providers are still encouraged to do compressions with ventilations.

A new review shows that measuring your blood pressure in both arms may be the most effective way of detecting and catching a silent but really serious disease of the blood vessels. PAD, or peripheral artery disease, is a condition that involves narrowing of the arteries in the body’s extremities. The findings in the new study show that a difference in systolic blood pressure between the arms was linked to an increased risk of PAD.

Those patients who had a difference in their systolic blood pressure readings between their right or left arms of 15 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg) or more were more than two and a half times more likely to have PAD than those patients who had a smaller difference between their arms.

Early detection of PAD is important — while the majority of cases are silent, if the condition is detected, measures can be taken to reduce mortality from related cardiovascular disease.

Dr. Christopher Clark, of Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry at the University of Exeter in the United Kingdom, the study researcher, claim that the findings support the need for it to be standard procedure to take blood pressure readings in both arms. Patients at a higher risk of PAD could be detected and further tests and/or treatment could be determined to help them.

The researchers reviewed 28 studies that measured blood pressure in both arms of participants. The studies typically included patients at increased risk of cardiovascular disease, the researchers noted.

In addition to an increased risk of PAD, a 15mm Hg blood pressure difference between arms was also associated with a 70 percent increased risk of dying from cardiovascular disease and a 60 percent increased risk of dying from any cause.

Which arm has the higher pressure can vary between individuals, but it is the size of the difference that counts, not which arm is higher and which is lower, the researchers said.

More work is needed to determine whether a substantial difference in blood pressure between arms should prompt aggressive management of cardiovascular risk factors, Richard McManus, of the University of Oxford, and Jonathan Mant, of the University of Cambridge, both in the United Kingdom, wrote in an editorial accompanying the study.

“Ascertainment of differences should become part of routine care, as opposed to a guideline recommendation that is mostly ignored,” McManus and Mant wrote.

Original artcile by: MyHealthNewsDaily Staff

Whether you’ve recently taken a CPR class and/or first aid training or you haven’t had a recertification class in years, the new app that iTunes offers is a must-have for smart phone users.

The app outlines the 2010 ECC guidlines for PALS, ACLS, BLS for health care providers, HeartSaver CPR classes and first aid.

This American Heart Association app incorporates instructional videos and HD graphics that clearly illustrate the most current techniques in CPR and first aid which have been proven to improve the chances of survival after a cardiac arrest, stroke, or major trauma.

To download the Pocket First Aid & CPR from the American Heart Association, you can click here.

Strokes are very serious. They are the 4th leading cause of death in the United States and they are the leading cause of adult disability. More than 75% of strokes can be prevented which is an extremely high percentage. If people know more about strokes and how to prevent them, these statistics will decrease dramatically. Do you know exactly what a stroke is? Do you know what the signs of a stroke are?

Thankfully Loretta Smith of Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio knew the signs and symptoms and made a phone call – all be it an unintended one – that likely saved her life. Ms. Smith, age 70, felt her right side go numb and with her left hand she picked up the phone and intended on dialing her son but instead was one digit off and reached a young man in Denver, Colorado. She said, “I think I’m having a stroke.” He was able to get some basic information from her and he called 911. She was taken in and it was determined that in fact she had had a mini-stroke. Ms. Smith praises him for saving her life. He said, “I do not feel like I’ve done anything special. I didn’t save her. She found me.” You can read the full article by clicking here.

 A stroke occurs when a blood vessel breaks or an artery is blocked by a blood clot, interrupting blood flow to a particular area of the brain. When either of these things occur, brain cells die which causes brain damage. Depending on which part of the brain is effected (where the blood clot or artery blockage occurs) depends on which abilities controlled by that area of the brain are lost. Usually the abilities that are affected include speech, movement, and memory. Some people recover completely from a stroke, but more than 2/3 of stroke survivors will have some kind of lingering disability.

 Stroke signs and symptoms

These are the most simple and common ways to detect a stroke. Remember the acronym F.A.S.T. to help you in your assessment. And as always, with any health issue – if in doubt, dial 911.

There are several risk factors that can be controlled in preventing a stroke. The list of controllable risk factors are: high cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes, tobacco use, obesity, and alcohol use. Click on the link to learn more about how to prevent a stroke.

  For information about local classes for all your CPR, BLS, ACLS, PALS, and First Aid needs, contact us at: www.lifesavercpr.net LifeSaver CPR

Posted January 9th, 2012 by SCAFoundation SCA News

An analysis of multiple studies has shown hypothermia therapy (HT) provides critical benefits for people who suffer cardiac arrest, though it remains under-utilized by hospitals and emergency medical service crews, according to researchers.
Not only did the analysis indicate HT may increase survival among cardiac arrest patients, the therapy also may have protective effects on the brain.
In one study, for example, the survival rate at six months following cardiac arrest was 59 percent for patients who had undergone HT compared to 45 percent among patients who had not.
Meanwhile, 55 percent of patients who had undergone HT showed favorable neurological outcomes – such as the brain returning to complete or at least partial function – compared to 39 percent of non-HT patients.
When a person goes into cardiac arrest, the heart stops pumping, which causes blood to stop circulating to the brain and can lead to neurological damage. However, HT appears to slow the rate of damage and protect the brain from further negative effects when blood begins recirculating.
The results of the analysis fall in line with current medical guidelines: HT has been included in the American Heart Association’s guidelines for cardiac arrest care for nearly a decade.
“Every cardiac arrest patient or cardiac patient who has suffered a neurological event should be cooled absolutely,” said study researcher Dr. Ron Waksman, associate chair of cardiology at the Washington Hospital Center in the nation’s capitol. Ideal application of HT involves cooling the body to 32 to 34 degrees Celsius for 12 to 24 hours.
However, Waksman, who is also professor of medicine and cardiology at Georgetown University, said despite scientific support, the therapy is still not used by enough doctors and emergency medical service crews.
“I think it’s the minority of ambulances that apply HT and have the equipment for it,” Waksman said, adding that there’s no national registry to track HT application. “We have to increase awareness because it can save people in terms of neurological events. It’s in the guidelines, but it’s just not being used.”
Typically, patients who suffer cardiac arrest and undergo CPR have two minutes of no blood supply to the brain, according to Waksman. Even if their heart is restored to normal function, they may suffer from brain damage or memory loss.
“Once you suffer cardiac arrest, there is ongoing damage in the brain,” Waksman said. “The reason for brain damage is lack of oxygen because there is no circulation to the brain.”
After four to five minutes, the brain suffers damage, and even if you reintroduce oxygen to the cells, it can continue to create damage because you’re pumping oxygen onto tissue that has already suffered, he added. HT minimizes the metabolic processes that can potentially induce more damage.
While HT can slow the rate of and minimize damage, it does not heal damage that has already occurred. Therefore, the treatment works best when applied early.
“Time is really important – first, you have to intubate the patient and restore circulation, but once you do that, the next step is to do cold infusion,” Waksman said. “It’s a very non-expensive methodology, which can be done out of the hospital by putting the patient in ice cubes. A medical team can even start with cold infusion.”
But only medical professionals should apply HT, he added. “Laymen should not be pouring ice on cardiac arrest patients in the street.”
The risks of HT include bleeding, infection or shivering during treatment, but are far outweighed by the potential benefits, according to Waksman.
“Those [risks] are relatively mitigated by being able to restore full brain functionality versus being incapacitated or on disability for the rest of your life due to neurological damage,” he said.

SOURCE: Fox News

Chocolate may be good for the heart but cardiologists are not giving you a license to indulge.

New research presented at Europe’s biggest medical meeting Monday suggested chocolate consumption might be associated with a one third reduction in the risk of developing heart disease.

Just why there should be such a link was unclear, the European Society of Cardiology congress was told.

There has been a string of scientific studies in recent years showing a potential health benefit from eating chocolate. Dark chocolate, in particular, contains compounds called flavanols thought to be good for the blood system.

In an attempt to paint a clearer picture, Oscar Franco and colleagues from the University of Cambridge pooled results from seven studies involving 100,000 people.

Five of the studies showed a beneficial link between eating chocolate and cardiovascular health, while two did not.

Overall, the findings showed the highest levels of chocolate consumption were associated with a 37 percent reduction in cardiovascular disease and a 29 percent reduction in stroke compared with the lowest levels.

Franco said there were limitations with the pooled analysis, which did not differentiate between dark and milk chocolate, and more research was needed to test whether chocolate actually caused better health outcomes or if it was due to some other confounding factor.

“Evidence does suggest chocolate might have some heart health benefits but we need to find out why that might be,” said Victoria Taylor, of the British Heart Foundation, who was not involved in the research.

“If you want to reduce your heart disease risk, there are much better places to start than at the bottom of a box of chocolates.”

Franco, whose findings were also published online in the British Medical Journal, said while it seemed chocolate had heart benefits, these could easily be outweighed by the unhealthy nature of much confectionery.

“The high sugar and fat content of commercially available chocolate should be considered, and initiatives to reduce it might permit an improved exposure to the beneficial effect of chocolate,” the research team wrote.

Copyright 2012 Thomson Reuters.

Original article can be found here: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44312861/ns/health-heart_health/

By Rita Rubin
A small switch in your daily schedule could significantly cut your risk of heart attack and stroke, a new study finds.

Taking blood pressure medications at bedtime instead of in the morning reduces the risk of a heart attack and other cardiovascular problems by about two-thirds, Spanish researchers reported.

The new study adds to a growing body of research that suggests blood pressure medication is more effective when taken before going to sleep instead of upon awakening. But the researchers caution that no one should switch from morning to bedtime dosing without first consulting a doctor and having his or her blood pressure monitored over a 24-hour period.

It’s now well-accepted that heart attacks are more common in the morning than the evening, says Michael Smolensky of the biomedical engineering department at the University of Texas at Austin. Smolensky wasn’t a coauthor on the new report but has collaborated with the authors.

Less widely accepted is the notion that blood pressure varies over the course of the day, so one or two readings in the doctor’s office doesn’t tell the whole story, says Smolensky, co-editor of the journal Chronobiology International.

“Mother Nature had in mind that when we went to sleep at night our heart rate and blood pressure would decline” to give our cardiovascular system a rest, Smolensky says. But, he says, people with high blood pressure are less likely to experience that nightly dip, which puts them at a greater risk of complications.

Continue reading “To cut heart risk, take blood pressure pills at night” »

When Ralph Polanec collapsed June 25 at his Washington, D.C., gym, staff members thought they could save him with a shock from their automated external defibrillator. But when they tried to turn it on, nothing happened. The device didn’t even flicker. The gym’s staff later discovered that the AED’s batteries had been removed when they lost their charge — and had never been replaced.

That battery failure might have been Polanec’s death sentence. His heart never restarted, despite CPR from a friend and later treatment from emergency responders.

His stepmother, Ruth L. Polanec, was stunned when she learned the details of his death.

“He was just 55 years old,” said the 77-year-old Mesa, Ariz., woman. “He shouldn’t have died. I was very upset that the equipment wasn’t working, because if it had been working, it might have saved him. I just felt horrible that a young man should pass away when we have so much modern equipment today. But it’s no good if it doesn’t work.”

As it turns out, battery problems are one of the leading causes of potentially deadly AED failures, according to a new study published in the Annals of Emergency Medicine.

Some 1,150 deaths were tied to AED failures over a 15-year period, and nearly one in four of those failures was caused by problems with batteries, according to researchers who pored through nearly 41,000 reports of adverse events associated with the devices.

Problems with wiring and with the pads that attach to the patient’s chest accounted for other top concerns, said Dr. Lawrence A. DeLuca, the study’s lead author and an assistant professor of emergency medicine at the University of Arizona.

AEDs seem to be ubiquitous these days, popping up everywhere from fitness clubs and apartment complexes to airports and private homes. A recent survey by the independent market research publisher Kalorama Information suggested that AEDs for home use will be booming over the next couple of years — jumping more than 17 percent over the next couple of years. An estimated 1.5 million AEDs are sold a year, based on 2009 figures, according to Kalorama’s research.

DeLuca was spurred to find out about the reliability of AEDs after having one fail on him.

Device malfunction spurred study

On vacation in the summer of 2008, DeLuca was summoned to use a defibrillator on a man who’d just gone into cardiac arrest. Two other vacationing doctors had been administering CPR when DeLuca arrived.

Continue reading “Cardiac Deaths Tied to Bad AED Batteries” »

A high degree of pain does not make it any more likely that someone coming into the emergency room with chest pains is having a heart attack, researchers found in a study of more than 3,000 patients.

The most severe chest pain was not a good predictor of which patients were actually having a myocardial infarction, or heart attack, nor of which patients were most prone to having one within the next month.

Conversely, “If chest pain isn’t severe, that doesn’t mean it’s not a heart attack,” said Dr. Anna Marie Chang, an author of the study and an emergency physician at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.

Using a scale of zero to 10, with zero representing no pain and 10 being the worst imaginable, researchers gauged the pain levels of about 3,300 patients who arrived at the UPenn hospital emergency department complaining of chest pain. They then followed the patients for 30 days to see who had further heart-related events.

Patients with the most severe chest pain were no more likely to be having a heart attack, or to have one within the next month, than patients with lesser pain. Pain that lasted more than an hour was also not a useful sign of a heart attack versus other conditions.

Continue reading “Chest pain severity is not a heart attack indicator” »

For kids, too much time spent in front of a computer or TV screen can lead to narrowed arteries in the back of the eyes — an early sign of high blood pressure and future heart disease, according to a new study.

Kids who exercised an hour or more each day had wider arteries there than did children who spent a half hour or less each day being active, the study said.

And the more time spent watching TV, the narrower the arteries were, which translates to an increase in blood pressure. The arterial narrowing from each hour of screen time would lead to a 10 millimeter of mercury (mm HG) increase in systolic blood pressure (the top number on a blood pressure reading), researchers said.

For a child who is already borderline for high blood pressure, that 10-point increase can be a lot, said Dr. John Stevens Jr., director of preventive cardiology at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Sibley Heart Center in Georgia.

“It’s more evidence that you can see effects at early life of unhealthy habits,” Stevens, who was not involved with the study, told MyHealthNewsDaily.

The study was published today (April 20) in Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology: Journal of the American Heart Association.

Translating screen time to artery health

Australian researchers surveyed the parents of 1,492 children age 6 or 7 on the number of hours their children spend being physically active and sedentary each week.

Continue reading “Couch Potato Kids Have Narrowed Arteries” »