(Best way to lose fat) What is Advanced Cardiac Life Support Training?
No commentsBy vitalethics
The Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) course is intended for any healthcare provider that desires to advance their skills, related to the resuscitation of an adult patient during a cardiopulmonary emergency. During an ACLS course, health care providers learn clinical interventions for the treatment of life threatening emergencies, such as cardiac arrest. It takes about 13 hours to complete through the American Heart Association.
What is learned?
After completion of an ACLS course, the healthcare professional has learned how to use algorithms and vital signs to shock (defibrillate) a heart back into normal rhythm. Correct assessment for the placement of airway devices is learned. ACLS includes pharmacology implementation and intravenous lines, as part of life support. There is also an assessment for causes of the cardiopulmonary emergency- (heart attack?, stroke?, shock?, drug overdose?, trauma? etc) ACLS teaches specific intervention steps for each possible cause of the emergency. However, the ACLS course also teaches the importance of team communication, team leadership, and the continuation of BLS during ACLS.
In order to take an ACLS course, the healthcare provider will register and pay the course fees. A date is set for attendance. However, the ACLS manual is sent prior to that date. Healthcare professionals taking the course are expected to know the contents of the manual — prior to actually attending the course. A knowledge of the emergency pharmacology, BLS, and ECG interpretation is also expected– prior to taking the course.
All of the ACLS principles are taught through simulated scenarios (with hands on training,) CD or DVD, lecture, and text (provider manual.) Learning stations are set up to practice each skill. In addition to learning ACLS techniques as an emergency team member, the student will also learn the role of an ACLS team leader.
Certification
After completion of the course, a written and skills performance exam is given. In order to become certified, both of these tests must be passed. A card, much like a CPR card, will be issued after passing the exams. The card is valid for 2 years, and then a renewal course is needed to keep the card current.
ACLS should not be confused with Basic Life Support (BLS.) BLS does not include the use of drugs or invasive procedures. Essentially, BLS is the building block for ACLS. In fact, BLS is a prerequisite for taking the ACLS course.
Who can become ACLS certified?
ACLS requires extensive medical knowledge, and is offered to health care professionals such as:
Nurse
Doctor
Nurse Practitioner
Paramedic
Respiratory Therapist
Physician Assistant
EMT
ACLS training is generally required, by most hospitals, for any healthcare professional that works in an emergency room or intensive care unit. However, any healthcare provider that participates in resuscitation techniques may be asked by an employer to become ACLS certified.
Michael Morales is an EMT paramedic and director of education for Vital Ethics Inc., providing basic and advanced life support training and certification programs.
http://www.aclsclass.info/certification8.html
http://www.aclsclass.info/certification10.html
http://www.aclsclass.info/certification12.html
Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)
By Sadhana D
What is Irritable Bowel Syndrome?
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common gut disorder, although the cause is still not known. When X-rays, blood tests, endoscopies and other diagnostic tests are carried out, the results do not reveal any obvious abnormality. For that reason IBS is often called ‘a functional disorder’ of the bowel; in other words, an illness associated with a disturbance of bowel function without any change in structure or obvious cause.
What are the symptoms?
The symptoms of Irritable Bowel Syndrome may include:
Abdominal pain and spasms, often relieved by going to the toilet
Diarrhoea, constipation or an alternation between the two
Bloating or swelling of the abdomen
Rumbling noises and excessive passage of wind
Urgency (an urgent need to visit the toilet) / Incontinence (If a toilet is not nearby)
Sharp pain felt low down inside the rectum
Sensation of incomplete bowel movement
Who gets IBS?
At any one time between 10% and 20% of people living in western countries fulfil the diagnostic criteria for IBS. IBS is more frequently diagnosed in women compared with men (twice as many), in young compared with old and in western countries compared with the developing world. It is commonly associated with emotional tension, is frequently triggered by life changes, difficult life situations or stressful life events.
What causes IBS?
The cause is not clear. It is thought that it may be linked to overactivity of part of the gut. The area of overactivity in the gut may determine whether constipation or diarrhoea develops. Again, the cause of overactivity in parts of the gut is not clear. One or more of the following may play a part:
Overactivity of the nerves or muscles of the gut. It is not known why this may occur. It may be linked to overactivity of messages sent from the brain to the gut. Stress or emotional upset may play a role. About half of people with IBS can relate the start of symptoms to a stressful event in their life. Symptoms tend to become worse during times of stress or anxiety.
Infection and bacteria in the gut. IBS is not caused by an ongoing gut infection. However, in about 1 in 6 cases, the onset of symptoms seems to follow a bout of gastroenteritis (a gut infection which can cause diarrhoea and vomiting).
Intolerance to certain foods may play a part in some cases. However, this is thought to be only in a small number of cases.
How can IBS be managed?
Recent research has shown that a prebiotic supplement (galactooligosaccharide) is proven to improve the symptoms of IBS. This supplement is not destroyed, digested or absorbed in the stomach or small intestine and therefore reaches the colon intact to selectively target and feed the bodys immunity boosting bifidobacteria while reducing harmful bacteria, all of which helps to reduce the symptoms of IBS.
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