MONROE - The eyes of the medical community will be on Green County Emergency Medical Services.
Green County is the most rural area to implement cardiocerebral resuscitation (CCR), a new approach to reviving patients experiencing cardiac arrest.
The CCR method consists of continuous chest compressions without mouth-to-mouth ventilations. The objective is to keep moving oxygen to the brain.
Unlike CPR, "it's best if you don't stop to breathe," Dr. Christine Langemo, EMS medical control director at Monroe Clinic Hospital for GCEMS, said. "You are getting oxygen in with just the compressions."
CCR is not just a new technique in resuscitation; it also requires a change in how quickly a patient is transported to the hospital.
"It's not so much how long the patient is down, but how many interruptions there are," said Mary Austin, EMS coordinator responsible for quality assurance and continuing education.
Langemo and Austin directed the first CCR training program for Green County EMS and Juda First Response on Monday. About 35 people took part in the training.
Performing CCR on a solid surface is best; in a moving ambulance is difficult, GCEMS Chief Dan Nufer said.
"If we can get the heart started before we move them ... without compromising oxygen to the brain," surviving patients have a better quality of life, Nufer said.
"The most important aspect of CCR is really good compressions," Austin said. Compressions need to be of "excellent quality, with full recoil."
"This is a two-person task, if at all possible," she said.
That's because the compressions come at a rate of 100 per minute, and people can get tired quickly.
"Green County has great EMTs," Langemo said, but the "outlying" areas concern her.
"Argyle is the farthest, and Blanchardville is about 30 minutes away," she noted.
A emergency call for a cardiac arrest sends out a community's first responders at the same time as GCEMS. But a first responder, or a member of the public, who begins CCR mostly likely will continue the technique until an ACLS arrives.
First responders may be on the scene performing CCR for as long as 30 minutes.
Langemo said survival rates will depend upon how fast CCR is begun and how far away an Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) member is located. GCEMS has 14 members who have ACLS training and can administer cardiac medication.
ACLS involves about 800 to 900 hours of training and clinicals and ride-alongs. GCEMS ACLS members took the training on their own time.
"We are extremely fortunate that they went and did that," Langemo said.
CCR has been credited with producing a survival rate of up to 40 percent. The best rate CPR, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, has been able to produce is between 7 to 15 percent.
CCR first was instituted in 2003 in Tucson, Ariz.; in 2004 in Rock and Walworth counties of Wisconsin; and in 2005 in the Phoenix metropolitan area.
Dane County started public training in January, and now has a "call and pump" program. Emergency callers are given an audio beat to use for keeping rhythm of the compressions.
CCR training for Green County emergency personnel, fire and police in the entire county is expected to be done by May. Public training will follow, most likely in May in connection with promoting EMS Week, May 17-23.
Green County is the most rural area to implement cardiocerebral resuscitation (CCR), a new approach to reviving patients experiencing cardiac arrest.
The CCR method consists of continuous chest compressions without mouth-to-mouth ventilations. The objective is to keep moving oxygen to the brain.
Unlike CPR, "it's best if you don't stop to breathe," Dr. Christine Langemo, EMS medical control director at Monroe Clinic Hospital for GCEMS, said. "You are getting oxygen in with just the compressions."
CCR is not just a new technique in resuscitation; it also requires a change in how quickly a patient is transported to the hospital.
"It's not so much how long the patient is down, but how many interruptions there are," said Mary Austin, EMS coordinator responsible for quality assurance and continuing education.
Langemo and Austin directed the first CCR training program for Green County EMS and Juda First Response on Monday. About 35 people took part in the training.
Performing CCR on a solid surface is best; in a moving ambulance is difficult, GCEMS Chief Dan Nufer said.
"If we can get the heart started before we move them ... without compromising oxygen to the brain," surviving patients have a better quality of life, Nufer said.
"The most important aspect of CCR is really good compressions," Austin said. Compressions need to be of "excellent quality, with full recoil."
"This is a two-person task, if at all possible," she said.
That's because the compressions come at a rate of 100 per minute, and people can get tired quickly.
"Green County has great EMTs," Langemo said, but the "outlying" areas concern her.
"Argyle is the farthest, and Blanchardville is about 30 minutes away," she noted.
A emergency call for a cardiac arrest sends out a community's first responders at the same time as GCEMS. But a first responder, or a member of the public, who begins CCR mostly likely will continue the technique until an ACLS arrives.
First responders may be on the scene performing CCR for as long as 30 minutes.
Langemo said survival rates will depend upon how fast CCR is begun and how far away an Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) member is located. GCEMS has 14 members who have ACLS training and can administer cardiac medication.
ACLS involves about 800 to 900 hours of training and clinicals and ride-alongs. GCEMS ACLS members took the training on their own time.
"We are extremely fortunate that they went and did that," Langemo said.
CCR has been credited with producing a survival rate of up to 40 percent. The best rate CPR, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, has been able to produce is between 7 to 15 percent.
CCR first was instituted in 2003 in Tucson, Ariz.; in 2004 in Rock and Walworth counties of Wisconsin; and in 2005 in the Phoenix metropolitan area.
Dane County started public training in January, and now has a "call and pump" program. Emergency callers are given an audio beat to use for keeping rhythm of the compressions.
CCR training for Green County emergency personnel, fire and police in the entire county is expected to be done by May. Public training will follow, most likely in May in connection with promoting EMS Week, May 17-23.