Discuss the importance of using CPR and emergency equipment in the dental office. Which members of the dental team should be properly trained in the use of both CPR and emergency equipment, and why?

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Answers will vary but can include some or all of the following points:
All members of the dental team should be properly trained in the use of both CPR and emergency equipment. Proper training will allow team members to act quickly and responsibly if an emergency situation arises. Proper response to critical emergency situations provides a better chance of success. Team members should be provided with periodic updating of emergency preparedness skills, since guidelines and procedures change frequently.
In addition to proper training, all team members should know where all emergency equipment is located.
All dental administrators should know and become certified in cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR). If a patient stops breathing, or his or her heart stops beating, you should be able to assist in reviving the patient or in keeping the patient alive until other help arrives.
CPR generally involves breathing for the patient and using chest compressions to keep the blood flowing through his or her heart and circulatory system. Since it involves both activities, having only one person in an office certified in CPR is not nearly as effective as having two people who can work on a patient at once.
An automated external defibrillator (AED) is a device about the size of a laptop computer that analyzes the heart's rhythm for any abnormalities and, if necessary, directs the rescuer to deliver an electrical shock to the patient. This shock, called defibrillation, may help the heart to reestablish an effective rhythm of its own. This device should be used in cases of life-threatening cardiac arrhythmias, which may lead, or have led to, cardiac arrest. The AED should only be used by someone who has been properly trained in the use of the device.
The use of positive-pressure oxygen equipment in critical emergency situations can give victims a better chance of survival. Positive-pressure oxygen may be administered using a resuscitation bag or other device that generates intermittent positive pressure. When positive-pressure oxygen systems are properly placed on the patient's face, they provide oxygen on demand as the patient breathes spontaneously. Some of these devices may also be used as resuscitators, to ventilate non-breathing patients.
Training in CPR, the use of an AED, and the use of positive-pressure oxygen devices, as well as in other emergency techniques and procedures, will enable dental team members to competently assist in emergency situations, and thereby significantly increase the victim's chance of survival.