What Does CPR Class Consist Of?

You should take a CPR class every few years or so in order to learn the newest techniques and information for saving a life. CPR, or cardiopulmonary resuscitation, has been effective in saving lives for many years.

First Aid

• CPR classes include an overview of acute sprain, cut, burn and abrasion care. The instructor will discuss ensuring the scene is safe for you to help the victim and ways to move the victim if it is not. This section of the course also emphasizes the importance of specifying who will call for help and who will retrieve an AED in case it is needed to revive the victim.

Heimlich Maneuver

• The instructor will explain how the Heimlich maneuver works, and will teach techniques for self-Heimlich and how to perform it on adults, children and infants. She will also discuss how to tell if someone is choking and needs your help. Hand placement is essential in performing this maneuver correctly because incorrect placement can result in a punctured lung.

Breaths and Chest Compressions

• Cardiopulmonary resuscitation is a technique comprised of breaths and chest compressions. In CPR class, individuals are taught the correct form for these life-saving moves as well as the working ratio between breaths and compressions for adults, children and infants. The class will utilize dummies to simulate the unconscious victim so individuals can practice.

AED

• The course includes training for using an automated external defibrillators, or AEDs. This device can save lives that would be otherwise lost while waiting for paramedics to arrive. The automated machine monitors heart activity and can be used to deliver a shock, if necessary, to stop fibrillation so that the heart returns to a normal beat.