| What's
the Chain of Survival? |
|
The Chain of Survival is a four-step process of
providing
treatment to victims of sudden cardiac arrest. The first link in the
Chain
of Survival is early access to care. This involves recognizing the
symptoms
of sudden cardiac arrest and calling 911 or another emergency number to
dispatch emergency medical services (EMS) personnel to the scene. The
second
link is early CPR. An individual trained in CPR administers ventilation
and compressions to the victim until a defibrillator or emergency
response
crews arrive at the scene. These skills allow oxygen-rich blood to be
circulated
to the victim's brain. The third link is early defibrillation. Early
defibrillation
means having a properly working defibrillator immediately available at
the site of an emergency and having a trained lay rescuer deliver an
electric
shock and/or all emergency responding units (fire, police, paramedics,
etc) able to defibrillate when they arrive at the scene. The fourth
link
is early advanced care. Early advanced care means the ability to
quickly
treat a victim of sudden cardiac death with medications and advanced
oxygen
therapies.
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| Why
is it important to call 911 first when a person collapses? |
|
Although early defibrillation is the single most
important
treatment for ventricular fibrillation cardiac arrest, other treatments
are also needed. Even if an AED is available at the scene, a victim of
cardiac arrest needs effective CPR with oxygen, intravenous (IV)
medications,
often endotracheal intubation, and rapid transport to an emergency
department.
These other links in the Chain of Survival optimize a victim's chances
of survival and recovery. In addition, not every cardiac emergency is
due
to ventricular fibrillation (VF). Victims of non-VF emergencies need
other
skills and treatments from EMS personnel.
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| What
good does CPR do if a person really needs defibrillation? |
|
CPR provides some circulation of oxygen-rich
blood to the
victim's heart and brain. This circulation delays both brain death and
the death of heart muscle. CPR buys time until the AED arrives and
makes
it more likely that VF will respond to defibrillation shocks.
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| Why
is early defibrillation so important? |
|
Early defibrillation is important because
defibrillation
is the only known therapy for most sudden cardiac arrests. Most sudden
cardiac arrests are caused by ventricular fibrillation, an irregular
heart
rhythm. VF causes the heart's electrical impulses to become chaotic.
The
heart stops suddenly, and the victim collapses and loses consciousness.
Defibrillation can restore the heart's normal rhythm if it's done
within
minutes of the arrest. Each minute of delay in returning the heart to
its
normal pattern of beating decreases the victim's chance of survival by
7% to 10%. |
