Evaluation of a short-course training program on basic life support (BLS) and automatic external defibrillator (AED) among 355 lay rescuers
Annotatsiya
Background and Goal of Study: 84% of sudden cardiac arrests (SCA) are Ventricular Fibrillations (VF)1. The treatment of VF is early defibrillation. The survival rate depends on the time between SCA and defibrillation. To reduce this time, the population needs to be trained to the basic life support and automatic external defibrillation (AED) maneuvers. The goal of this study is to evaluate the lay rescuers' competencies 6 months after 3 hrs training. Materials and Methods: This study is prospective cohort. The study population is composed of volunteer people (n = 355) without any AED knowledge. The training is 3 hours, divided into two parts: first for basic life support and second for AED. Training is delivered by a BLS-AED instructor. The majority of the training time is hands-on. An evaluation at 6 months by simulation is organized. One anesthesiologist and one BLS-AED instructor complete an evaluation. The position of the electrodes is controlled by the Cardiff classification2. The training and evaluation follow the ERC guidelines (2000). Results and Discussions: The average age is 40 years old (SD ± 14). The sex ratio was 42.3% female 58.7% male. 110 volunteers came back after 6 months with no epidemiologic difference with the cohort. 79.7% called the emergency service within 64 seconds. Participants looked for consciousness 87%, open airways 60.9%, check signs of a circulation 79.8%. The AED was taken in 103s (sd ± 83), the first shock was delivered within 236s (±78). The electrodes were correct in 74.1%. The younger rescuers (<25 years) were significantly better. During shock the rescuer did not the victim in 96.6% Conclusion(s): This study shows defibrillation occurs under the recommended time (<300 s) with safety for the victims and the rescuers after short training. This training facilitates the distribution of AED and BLS knowledge.