The episode, entitled “Stress Relief” goes a little something like this; Dwight, tries to teach a lesson to his fellow staff members.  It inevitably backfires. Something crazy happens, in this case, beloved coworker, Stanley, suffers a heart attack. Dwight's safety officer position is stripped.  What happens next? Michael Scott arranges a cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) training session for employees. The result? Almost exactly ten years after airing the episode, Cross Scott uses what he observed, to save a woman - in real life.

Now, while there is the lovely coincidence of these two characters sharing the same last name - Michael Scott, played by Steve Carell, is fictional; while 21-year old Cross Scott of Tucson Arizona is real.

Cross Scott happened to watch the episode  “Stress Relief” of The Office. Obviously, this episode did not provide real CPR training - but that did not stop Cross from applying what he had learned.  Beginning with seeing a woman in her car slumped over the steering wheel, Cross decided he had to do something. He broke into the car and began to conduct CPR - the way he had seen it done on The Office.  Including the charming detail of singing the song “Stayin’ Alive” by the Bee Gees in order to maintain the appropriate rhythm while administering chest compressions.

After about a minute of administering chest compressions, the woman began to breathe again. Paramedics arrived and took over from there. 

A few points to take note of from this story:

1. The characters from The Office - Michael Scott, Dwight, Stanley - they aren’t real.  
2. It’s hard to separate reality from the fiction presented on television and consequently just how important it is for the entertainment industry to represent accurate health information. Particularly because people may not have been otherwise exposed to actual information.
3. There are a lot of people out there, like Cross Scott, that have not sought out traditional life-saving skills and training like CPR.

We don’t get to choose if and when we have an emergency that requires skills and training like CPR.  We rarely have the convenience of being close to emergency services, hospitals or the like. It’s scary knowing that the chances of your survival during a potential emergency are completely dependent on the skills and training of the (likely) strangers present.

This begs the question, why isn’t CPR training more available at the most basic levels for the sake of public safety?  Why isn’t it taught in public school? Why isn’t it offered at work? Sure, it costs a little to invest in the safety and well-being of children, loved ones and even the perfect stranger.  Isn’t it worth it, though? If all it takes is simply registering for a CPR course to potentially save someone's life…

The fact that the writers of The Office had the good sense to provide sufficient real guidance as to what to do in an emergency situation, well it’s a true blessing.  The result is that a woman's life was saved. The world of TV actually helped, this time. Let’s not go crazy though, not all skills and training can be provided by Dunder Mifflin. 

What would you do if someone you know suddenly has a heart attack in front of you? Ideally, you’re able to perform basic CPR and other life-resuscitation methods until medical support arrives. But sometimes it takes a lot more than that to save someone’s life. Once that patient arrives at a hospital or any emergency care facility, medical professionals have tools and training to give advanced intervention. One of those is ACLS.

ACLS means Advanced Cardiac Life Support. Also known in the medical world as "Code Blue Management", the art of dealing with cardiac arrest. It is very special training that is provided to medical professionals who respond to emergency situations – from the team who arrives in the ambulance, to the nurses and doctors who meet you in the emergency room, or even to caregivers or nursing home staff.

WHO NEEDS TO KNOW ACLS?

ACLS classes and certifications are only available for people who have prior medical background. While anyone can take it, there are some people who are more likely to need this kind of special emergency care training. These include:

• Nurses and nurse’s aides. When there’s a life threatening situation, both doctors and nurses need to be able to act quickly. ACLS training can provide nurses with the confidence and experience to handle these emergency situations. A nurse with ACLS training can give the best support to the doctor in charge, either by recording or helping with the preparation of medication. They are also trained in reading algorithms to determine which steps should be taken given a patient’s particular case.
• Paramedics. They are the first to arrive at any 911 call. Their ACLS training will allow them to save or stabilize a patient until they arrive at a hospital. IN many cases, their interventions will make the difference between a patient getting a chance at survival or being declared dead on arrival.
• Caregivers seeking better competitive career opportunities. By the very nature of their profession, caregivers with nursing degrees take care of patients who are at very high risk. However, the medical industry is very competitive. An ACLS certification is also a competitive advantage for independent caregivers who are seeking employment, or allow them to expand employment opportunities with hospitals and emergency care facilities.

Not all nurses in hospitals may need ACLS training; it depends on where you are assigned. For example, those who work in intensive care, same day surgery or cancer may need to know ACLS more than someone who works in the orthopedics or dermatology department. Nevertheless, cardiac arrest can happen anytime and anywhere, and an ACLS certification can help you be prepared for any situation or career advancement.

HOW TO GET ACLS TRAINING

ACLS training is offered both in medical facilities and through online programs. It is challenging for many medical professionals to make the time for any kind of study – with all those long shifts, it may even be challenging for them to get 3 square meals a day. Nevertheless, an ACLS certification can make a difference not only in your career but in somebody’s life. Prioritize your ACLS training and have the knowledge and skill for emergency situations.

Go CPR NY 6400 Saunders Street Rego Park, NY 11374 (718) 785-5559 http://www.gocprny.com

No Debating Anymore; Seems Longer CPR is Better CPR
It has always been a subject of endless debates, yet not even the physicians could help bring it to an end. But while it’s understandably hard for a doctor to tell whether longer is better when resuscitating a patient, it seems there’s consensus, finally. Several research attempts seem to have pointed to the same result; longer CPR is better CPR!
According to researchers from the University of Michigan Health System, longer CPR attempts on a patient battling cardiac arrest, seems useful in some instances. The research alludes that extending the period of resuscitation attempts to 15 minutes makes the outcome a bit favorable and still doesn’t require too much time and resources.
About 200,000 cardiac arrest patients are hospitalized annually and out of the 50% that survive in the first episode, just about 20% recover enough to be discharged. Still, the 20% constitute those who resuscitate in about 12 minutes.
However, there’s more to this!
Yet another study presented to the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions in 2013 seemingly supports that of the University of Michigan Health System. From the new study, keeping resuscitation efforts going for a bit longer may boost the survivor’s brain functioning. The Japanese researchers revealed that by keeping CPR going for at least 30 minutes, the brain would have a better chance of working again.
However, a fascinating study, done by Zachary Goldberger and colleagues and published in the Lancet gave a damning revelation. The study outlines some insightful data on unpleasant outcomes of CPR patients who are already hospitalized. Further, the report underlines some thought-provoking findings on if efforts to elongate resuscitation could save patients and ensure they get discharged.
After researching 93,535 patients, all being 18 years and above, 64,339 patients were found to have suffered a cardiac arrest that lasted a minimum of 2 minutes. But out of these 64,339 patients, a majority (80%) had either asystole or pulse-less electrical activity, while 49% had experienced a return of spontaneous circulation. The other 15% only survived enough to get discharged after undergoing spontaneous circulation for 16.6 days.
But the primary goal of this research featured on Lancet was to assess if a more extended CPR done in a hospital had a direct impact on the fate of the eventual survivor. This justified the reason why it had to be non-survivors who had been used instead of everyone.
In the long run, patients who spent more periods under median resuscitation were:

1. More predisposed to getting a return to spontaneous circulation.
2. Better suited to surviving until they get discharged.
3. If indeed they get discharged, they were to have more encouraging neurological status than those hospitals that had shorter resuscitation durations.

 
The long and short of it is that ‘longer seems better’ when it comes to CPR durations, although 12% of all cardiac arrest patients hospitalized spent two minutes (at least) and were eventually discharged with encouraging “neurological outcome.”  However, it seems a systematic increase in the total period resuscitation takes may improve chances of survival of a high-risk population.
By: Go CPR NY, the leading and most trusted CPR training center. Inquire about our individual training at our Queens Office as well as on-site training at your place- anywhere in NYC.
Go CPR NY 6400 Saunders Street Rego Park, NY 11374 (718) 785-5559 http://www.gocprny.com

The American Heart Association’s Emergency Cardiovascular Care (ECC) Programs deliver a dynamic message of hope — the hope of saving lives. New treatments have improved the possibility of survival from cardiovascular emergencies, cardiac arrest, and stroke. These new treatments offer the hope of improved quality of life for people who suffer these events.

Increasing public awareness of the importance of early intervention and ensuring greater public access to defibrillation will save many lives. ECC programs train more than 18 million people every year by educating healthcare providers, caregivers, and the general public on how to respond to these emergencies.

About 88 percent of people who experience out-of-hospital cardiac arrest do not survive to hospital discharge. Immediate CPR can double, or even triple, a victim’s chance of survival.

ECC Mission
The ECC Programs Department is responsible for implementing program initiatives, and providing guidance and support to the ECC Training Network. The ECC Mission supports this responsibility.

The Mission of the American Heart Association's ECC Program is to reduce disability and death from acute circulatory and respiratory emergencies, including stroke, by improving the chain of survival in every community and in every health care system. ECC Guiding Philosophy 

• Improve the Chain of Survival in Every Community
• Increase Quality, Timeliness of Materials
• Identify, Expand Training
• Document Effectiveness
• Improve Efficiency

June 2017 was National CPR Awareness month. With the request of the community leaders, we launched an incredible event of CPR Awareness in our community.

Each year in the United States, more than 500,000 people suffer from cardiac arrest…less than 15% survive. Approximately  75-80% of cardiac arrests happen outside of hospital. Bystander involvement and performance of high quality CPR becomes crucial in a sudden collapse.  There are many factors that contribute to survival, however administering high quality CPR prolongs likely hood of survival. CPR can double or triple a cardiac arrest victims chance of survival---if it's given immediately.

On June 20th 2017, a group of more than 30 people gathered to learn about the importance and proper administration of CPR. With the lead instructor of Moshe Simkhayev, the group has successfully learned what to do as first response in case of cardiac arrest in adults, children and infants.

To make it a greater awareness, we will be launching further events in our community in order to make a difference and be able to reach out to as many people as we can. Because saving a life is that moment that you return a loved one to their family which can never be measures in gratitude.  You can make a difference!

Stay tuned for further event updates.