BASIC LIFE SUPPORT REACTION PAPER

By Ken Manalo

According to current research, students have a severe lack of understanding about the
common indications and risk factors connected with major medical illnesses. There is an urgent
need to develop learning objectives to encourage students to learn BLS throughout their
education.

In an emergency, prompt and structured patient management is critical to the patient’s

outcome. To manage common emergencies, each of us should have a basic understanding of
emergency care and the skills required to deal with these situations. Adequate training in first aid
and Basic Life Support (BLS) should be included in the high school and college curriculum.

Furthermore, the most important BLS skill, good quality chest compressions, was
retained by significantly more students who were taught the new resuscitation, since no BLS
formal curricula has been implemented for lower or higher year students. A comfortable solution
for this might be the E–learning proven to improve both the knowledge and the competence of
students in BLS, at least in the simulation environment.

Although this might be a low cost and easy implementation solution, it may result to lack
of self–confidence in the ability to perform common procedures. Implementation and teaching
BLS in schools on grounds might help to increase exposure to the procedures and may address
this challenge to increase knowledge and students’ self–confidence.

Basic life support consists of a number of medical procedures provided to patients with
life threatening conditions of the body, that cause pain or dysfunction to the person. All these
techniques are focused on helping patients or sustain life until more precise medical treatment
can begin.

Even though BLS does not include extensive medical supervision or treatment, including
the use of invasive procedures or drugs, only those who attended a BLS training program can
provide it. Their certification allows them to provide basic life–saving and life–sustaining
interventions until the trained medical personnel gives them the full medical care.
 Usually, these medical techniques, which refer to the initial assessment, airway
maintenance and ventilation, breathing, circulation and chest compression, consist of a few steps
that must be followed.

Basic life support techniques and mnemonics as set by the 2009 American Heart
Association Protocols

 Secure the DANGER area.

 Ensure the safety of the victim, the rescuer, and any bystanders

 Check the victim for a RESPONSE by gently shaking the victim’s shoulders and asking
loudly ‘Are you all right?’
 If the victim responds, leave him in the position in which he was found provided there is
no further danger, try to find out what is wrong with him and get help if needed, and
reassess him regularly.
 If the victim does not respond, turn him on to his back and open the AIRWAY using the
head tilt and chin lift. Shout for help.
 Look, listen and feel for normal breathing for no more than 10 seconds. If the victim is
BREATHING normally, turn him into the recovery position and get help. Continue to
check for breathing
 If the victim is not breathing normally, call for an ambulance, then give 30 chest
COMPRESSIONS at a rate of about 100 per minute.
 After 30 chest compressions, give 2 rescue breaths, and continue to alternate between 30
chest compressions and 2 breaths.
 Continue resuscitation until

The BLS shall be continue until the patient regains a pulse, the rescuer is relieved by
another rescuer of equivalent or higher training, the rescuer is physically too tired to continue
CPR, or the patient is pronounced dead by a medical doctor.
 Learning BLS is important, carrying out this procedure is the one of the most crucial to
do properly to save lives. We feel that basic life support techniques must be acquired and taught
as soon as possible, because their core meaning is saving a life.

Taking everything into account, I believe that adequate training in first aid and basic life
support is a must. As students, we believe that this will improve both the mental and physical
aspects of performing BLS in emergency situations. As previously stated, implementing such a
strategy may also be useful during clinical stages, as all parties involved in the clinical act should
be trained to handle basic life support emergencies, even if only for a second, because its
importance has been well established.