It can mean the difference between life and death and this week one hundred doctors, nurses, and first responders are being trained in the basics of life support and CPR. The course, certified by the American Heart Association, is being delivered by 7 doctors from Covenant Healthcare of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. We were there for a training session this morning.
This isn't a real patient, the resuscitation techniques you see here are being used on this dummy. And while the body isn't real, the techniques used on the table here are very real and that is why Dr. Greg Arana, a trained physician, is participating in this advanced life support course.
Dr. Greg Arana, Medical Doctor
"Advanced life support is important because you need to know the extra steps to sustain that person's life and to get the best possible outcome in these situations."
The trainees are under instruction from a team of educators led by Dr. Mark Bruce.
Dr. Mark Bruce, Covenant Health
"This is a very comprehensive cardiac resuscitative course initially for adults, and tomorrow we're going to start the pediatric course for advanced life support and basically it covers all aspect of acute coronary and also acute strike care. For the people that use this a lot, its not rocket science, its not that difficult. But there is a specific process that we actually teach the students to first of all recognize a problem and then to go ahead and, once its recognized, start that emergency treatment. "
It is a matter of life and death and that is why Friends of Pediatrics teamed up with Covenant Healthcare out of Milwaukee for the course. Dr. Egbert Grinage is the President of the Friends of Pediatrics.
Dr. Egbert Grinage,
"Where the populace and more so people in healthcare setting can apply cardiopulmonary resuscitation to somebody who has had a cardiac arrest, whether a child or an adult, it improves outcome, meaning that the person stands a better chance of surviving without any brain injury."
And more than leaving here with the skills to save lives, Dr. Arana and the other participants will leave with one of this: a certificate from the American Heart Association.
Dr. Egbert Grinage,
"If they are successful in the course they are taking, they'll receive an authentic international American Heart Association certificate."
The course runs through to Thursday. The cost for the course in the United States is US$230 but it is being offered free through the Friends of Pediatrics.
