News

EMS offers emergency cardiac arrest response training

By Bill Moss, Published: March 18, 2013

Henderson County Emergency Medical Services will present information to health care providers, first responders and EMS agencies about a new cardiac care program on Thursday at the Conference Hall at Blue Ridge Community College.

The course will run from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.


In order to provide the highest level of care to citizens that experience sudden cardiac arrest, Henderson County Emergency Medical Services has recently adopted specific cardiac arrest survival guidelines and joined the Cardiac Arrest Registry to Enhance Survival (CARES) program. This approach has resulted in a marked improvement in cardiac arrest survival.

This program is targeted towards all health care providers who are interested in learning about the current processes for better care of cardiac arrest patients. Using a multidisciplinary approach by experts in the field, this course promises to provide participants the opportunity to gain knowledge, skills, and resources to improve survival from cardiac arrest in their community.Cardiovascular disease is the single greatest cause of death in the United States. Each year upwards of a quarter of a million persons receive attempted resuscitation from cardiac arrest by Emergency Medical Services (EMS).

Survival from out of hospital ventricular fibrillation cardiac arrest is extremely variable throughout the United States with high survival rates of 52% in Seattle and King County Washington, and low survival rates 7.7% in Alabama, to less than 10 % in North Carolina. Furthermore, in the interest of improving survival only a small percentage of communities in the US have rigorously measured and reported survival rates. Most communities have no idea as to how they are managing out of hospital cardiac arrest.

Pre-registration is required to assure space in the program. The following agencies are fee exempt for the course: NC Volunteer Fireman, NC Paid Fireman, NC Volunteer Life Saving, NC Paid Live Saving, NC Paid Law Enforcement, NC Resident Over 65. Other healthcare providers (i.e. physicians and nurses) should list affiliation with Emergency Management or the EMS System of their respected counties. If no affiliation exists a $65 tuition fee must accompany the registration. To register for the course please contact Jim Teague, Henderson County EMS Training Officer, at (828) 697-4560 or jteague@hendersoncountync.org.