Basic life support may seem simple. As medical professionals, we are trained to diagnose, treat, and review patients, but emergencies can happen anytime. It could be in the form of cardiac arrest, anaphylactic shock,chocking, stroke, etc. Immediate care must be provided for such cases, and even a second delayed is a life lost. As medical professionals, we may be able to save a few if we are well versed in the basics of basic life support.
What is basic life support?
Life is unpredictable. People who are alive right at this moment may not be alive to see the next second. Basic life support is an essential skill in managing emergency conditions. It includes
- Cardiopulmonary resuscitation
- Valsalva maneuver for choking
- Airway management
- Use of AED and defibrillators
Why is BLS training essential for medical students?
Provides real life exposure
Though the training is done in dummies the training and level of skill obtained is applicable for emergency situations. Basic essence of how to save a life is obtained. It provides confidence and empowerment to deal with real life situations.
Saves lives
Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) is a public health burden accounting for nearly 10% of global mortality and 50% of cardiovascular deaths
Bystander CPR saves lives. When healcare workers are educated the techniques and procedures, they are able to save countless lives. Though doing proper CPR requires extensive training.
MBH/AB