When someone suffers a sudden cardiac arrest (SCA), every second counts. In those critical early minutes, understanding the difference between CPR and defibrillation can mean the difference between life and death. Although they work together in a rescue situation, they serve very different purposes. In this article, we’ll explain what each one does and why both are vital in an emergency.

What Is CPR?

Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) is a manual technique that helps to pump blood around the body when the heart stops beating. CPR keeps oxygen flowing to the brain and vital organs, buying precious time until professional help or a defibrillator arrives.

It involves two main actions:

• Chest compressions – pushing down hard and fast in the centre of the chest (at least 100-120 times per minute)
• Rescue breaths (optional for trained individuals) – giving breaths mouth-to-mouth to supply oxygen

CPR alone cannot restart a heart that’s in a fatal rhythm like ventricular fibrillation – that’s where defibrillation comes in.

What Does a Defibrillator Do?

A defibrillator, or AED (Automated External Defibrillator), delivers an electric shock to the heart. The aim is to restore a normal rhythm in the event of a cardiac arrest. Most public AEDs are fully automated and easy to use, giving verbal instructions as soon as the device is activated.

Here’s what an AED does:

• Analyses the casualty’s heart rhythm
• Advises whether a shock is needed
• Charges and delivers the shock automatically or on button press

Defibrillation is the only treatment that can restore a shockable heart rhythm. CPR cannot do this on its own – it only sustains life temporarily.

CPR vs AED – What’s the Difference?

Both CPR and defibrillation are needed for the best chance of survival.

When Should You Use an AED?

You should use a defibrillator as soon as you suspect someone is in cardiac arrest:

• The person is unresponsive
• They are not breathing normally (or not at all)

Once 999 has been called, send someone to fetch the nearest AED while CPR is being carried out. The earlier a shock is delivered, the greater the chance of survival – ideally within the first 3–5 minutes.

CPR and AED Training Saves Lives

Every year in the UK, over 30,000 people suffer a cardiac arrest outside of hospital. Immediate CPR and defibrillation can double or even triple survival rates.

At ProTrainings Europe Ltd, we provide CPR and AED training for individuals, businesses, and organisations across the UK. Our AED training course teaches how to safely and confidently use a defibrillator in line with Resuscitation Council UK guidelines.

View AED Course

Final Thoughts

Understanding the difference between CPR and defibrillation can empower you to take life-saving action when it matters most. While CPR keeps the body alive, only an AED can reset the heart during a shockable arrest. That’s why every workplace, school, and public building should have an accessible defibrillator and trained staff.

Be ready to act – book your CPR and AED training today.

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The idea of the Herbert Protocol is to create a single document which you write now that includes al the information about that person including a photo so it can be circulated quickly to the Police in the moment of need. It is a simple risk reduction tool used if an adult with special needs goes missing. Complete the form to the best of your ability, you do not have to complete it all but do your best as the more information that is available, the better the Police can search for them. There are some sections for professional careers that may not apply if you are completing it for a family member, just fill in what you can.

The Herbert Protocol form is kept close to hand in the home or care home where it can be easily found. You do nt have to send it to the Police until that person goes missing. The Herbert Protocol form is completed to the best of your ability and updated where necessary. In the care setting, you must store the form under the Data Protection regulations but where it can be accessed easily. It can be held electronically or in paper format and although not compulsory, it is highly recommended by the Police force.

If the person goes missing, call 999 and ask for the Police and tell them you have the Herbert Protocol form to hand for them.

Some of the sections on the form are:

• Personal information
• Next of kin details
• Doctors details
• Medical information
• Places of interest they may go
• Hobbies and interests
• Jobs they had
• Places the travel to or have traveled to
• Does the person have GPS tracking on them
• Their weekly routine
• Other relevant information
• Key people in their care or family members
• Care home details
• And finally the details of the person filling in the form.

Different Police forces and care companies have different versions of the form with their logos and details on, but the form is the same. We have placed one version and some leaflets in the download area of this course.

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The results identified a specific signature of a group of genes in the regions of the brain which are most vulnerable to Alzheimer’s disease. Healthy individuals with this specific gene signature are highly likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease in later life, and would most benefit from preventative treatments, if and when they are developed for human use.

Alzheimer’s disease, the most common form of dementia, is characterised by the progressive degeneration of the brain. Not only is the disease currently incurable, but its molecular origins are still unknown. Human bodies have a number of defence mechanisms which protect it against protein aggregation, but as people age, these defences get weaker, which is why Alzheimer’s generally occurs in later life.

Learn more about Dementia www.prodementia.co.uk or call ProTrainings on 01206 805359

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Disability Awareness is a very important subject but until now understanding it has not been easy to learn. We have teamed up with Enhance the UK, a disability charity to develop this educational course to improve disability awareness. Fifty percent of all proceeds from course sales go direct to Enhance the UK to further support their excellent work in promoting and training disability awareness. 

The course challenges the attitudes, perceptions and expectations of both disabled people and society as a whole in relation to disability. The course is user led, being presented by people with disabilities.

With this training, we aim to remove the embarrassment of social interaction when working with disabled people by teaching you simple hints and tips in a fun interactive online training.

The training covers all areas of disability:

• Deaf awareness
• Visual impairments
• Physical impairments
• British Sign Language – BSL
• All round disability awareness
• Disability and Communication training
• The equality act

The course is a series of short videos followed by knowledge review questions between the videos and a short multiple choice test at the end. When you complete the course you can download and print your completion certificate, evidenced based learning statement and Certified CPD certificate.  There is also a download area and you can have access to the course for 8 months even after you have passed the course making it a useful resource of information.

As the course is taught by people with disabilities, the information given is accurate and you will learn about the problems and solutions of the disabled.  You will also lean about communicating with the disabled and how you can help them in the workplace and community. If you would like a face to face lesson at your workplace, contact us and Enhance the UK can provide this for you.

For more information and to buy the course visit www.prodisabilityawareness.co.uk or call ProTrainings on 01206 805359.

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Living with dementia isn’t easy to imagine if you haven’t been put in that situation.   Reading stories from people who have might help your understanding.  Click here to read about Enid and George’s story.

Some people have a great support network and others live alone.  There is plenty of help available to assist people living alone and help them remain independent as long as possible.

92-year old Rose does tai-chi every day and gets help with carers to plan out her days.  She fills them up with going to memory groups, drawing and other activities that help keep her mind active.  And this May you can can raise dementia awareness to give people like Rose a more improved standard of life.

The theme for 2015 was ‘Do Something New’, and it was all about getting people to try something new during the week.  If you think you can help the Alzheimer’s Society there are many ways that you could participate, for example, take part in a memory walk, go parachuting or … come up with your very own idea for an event!

This Dementia Awareness Week encourages anyone who is worried about dementia to confront their concerns and get in touch with Alzheimer’s Society and other organisations. Hundreds of thousands of families are touched by dementia every year and many people don’t know where to turn. We know dementia can be scary but you don’t have to face it alone.

There are many websites where you can learn more about Dementia including the Alzheimer’s Society.

Other ways that you can increase your knowledge is to complete the Virtual Dementia Tour where you get an idea of what Dementia might be like and complete our video online course on Dementia.  For more information call ProTrainings Europe on 01206 805359.

Related articles across the web

• Course of the Week – Customer Service
• Presentation Skills – Course of the Week

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NatraSan is a new first aid spray that is a good addition to any first aid kit.  There are lots of different first aid sprays on the market but this one is a bit different as is a first aid spray containing pure Hypochlorous Acid which is a mild but incredibly effective acidic substance released by our white blood cells to kill invading pathogens, such as bacteria and viruses.

NatraSan effectively kills 99.9999% of harmful germs, including bacteria, viruses, fungi, yeasts and moulds. It is completely safe to humans, animals and the environment and as a result can be used to treat insect stings, cuts and wounds, athlete’s foot and as a disinfectant around the house – you can even use it to neutralise bad odours, such as foot and shoe odours.

We all see so many products advertised which claim they kill 99.9% of bacteria. This sounds good, but actually this is not enough to get close to passing the very strict European Standards EN Test. It also means that in suitable conditions of warmth the remaining bacteria can grow back to the original burden in as little as two hours.

So, for example, if you have one million bacteria you’re left with 1000 bacteria alive after using a 99.9% treatment. But if you were to use NatraSan on the same amount of bacteria you’d be left with just 0-1 still alive.

This spray is ideal for humans and animals and can be used on:

• Cuts and wounds to prevent infection
• Acne and Spots
• Athlete’s Foot
• Mouthwash
• Mosquito and Insect bites
• Destroying odours including foot and shoe odours
• Use as a general sanitiser

NatraSan is safe to use around the eyes and mouth, pH Neutral, so will not sting and kind on your skin.

NatraSan First Aid Spray is compliant with European Biocidal Regulations (EU528/2012). NatraSan has been independently laboratory tested to rigorous International standards and complies with BSEN 1276 (Bacterial)  BSEN 13704 (Sporicidal) BSEN1656 (Bacterial) BSEN 13697 (Fungicidal).

NatraSan is available in two sizes, a handy 100ml spray bottle and a larger 250ml trigger spray pack and you can buy it from ITG Supplies or ProTrainings or direct by clicking here.

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The human body is a complex subject and we have covered many topics here and we will be adding supporting text and pictures in future editions. The file size of this manual is large so you you will need to have an up to date operating system on your computer.  The manual is free to download  or you can buy the manual from our store by clicking here.

On ProTrainings courses you will find many different downloads and links to support the training.  If you have any problems accessing your free student dashboard please contact us on 01206 805359 or email support@protrainings.uk.

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This week we interviewed P.k. Beville about the Virtual Dementia Tour and many different  ‪#‎Denentia‬ subjects. You will find more soon on our VDT site www.provdt.co.uk www.prodementia.co.uk and on The First Aid Show. This video introduces the VDT and what it is about.

The Virtual Dementia Tour gives an insight in to what Dementia may be like.  It was designed by PK Beville over many years to try to give an idea on what is going through the mind of the Dementia patient to then enable carers to change the way they treat people and therefore improve the care they offer. By understanding their needs and treating people better, drug use can sometimes be reduced and it makes care much easier and less stressful.

The virtual dementia tour is a practical session and debrief, it cannot be completed online but ProTrainings offer a supporting website for the VDT where you can learn more about Dementia and Dementia care.  ProTrainings also offer video online Dementia courses as well as many other care based courses.

For more information, please contact ProTrainings on 01206 805359 or email support@protrainings.uk.

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ProTrainings offer a one stop shop for training, with video online, blended and face to face training though their large network of approved and monitored instructors.  They also offer comprehensive training and business support to instructors also developing their businesses.

Thank you to all our staff, instructors and customers for their continued support.

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