CPR certification courses in Arizona teach you how to administer CPR to people suffering from cardiac arrest, respiratory arrest, choking, drowning, and other life-threatening situations. These are known as cardiopulmonary resuscitation cycles, and it’s important to know how many of these cycles you should do before calling 911. Learn more about the Arizona Department of Health Services’ guidelines on this subject by reading this article about how many cycles of CPR are required for certification in Arizona.
What are the requirements for certification in Arizona?
To become CPR certified in Arizona, you must first complete a CPR course that lasts at least one hour. The curriculum should include hands-on training and computer-based instruction on how to use an automated external defibrillator (AED) as well as regular cardiac massage. There is no set number of cycles required for certification, but you must pass a final exam to become CPR certified. You can verify your certification with either your American Heart Association or American Red Cross card or by calling 1-800-Heart save
The Basics of ECC:
Just a few years ago, most CPR certifications were only valid for one year. After that first year, you’d have to retake your course and exam to earn certification again. Nowadays, however, several states require periodic recertification every two or three years instead. Whether it’s once a year or every two or three years, a good rule of thumb is to always be prepared and to make sure you’re CPR-certified before responding to any emergency. To be prepared in case you ever have to perform CPR on an adult (or infant), most healthcare providers recommend taking at least an 8-hour ECC course that offers hands-on training with a peer instructor.
Preparing to Use an AED (Automated External Defibrillator)
An AED is a device that delivers an electric shock to heart muscles, jump-starting them after they’ve stopped. As part of your CPR certification, you’ll also learn how to use an AED—and doing so as quickly as possible can mean a big difference in whether or not a patient survives cardiac arrest. If you plan on using an AED regularly and work at a place that has one on hand, consider getting CPR and first aid certified. That way, if someone has a medical emergency and needs immediate help, you’ll be ready with hands-on skills to help get them through it. It could even save their life!
Compressions During Cardiac Arrest:
While CPR certification requires you to learn proper chest compressions, that’s not where it ends. It’s important to remember that delivering rescue breaths is equally critical to saving a victim’s life, and too few people take full advantage of their breathing time. If your state requires you to take a course on CPR, be sure you also enroll in an AED (automated external defibrillator) course; many states require basic AED training and certification as well.
Ventilations During Cardiac Arrest:
The frequency of chest compressions and breaths is also determined by whether or not a cardiac arrest victim still has a pulse. If there’s no heartbeat, you should do 30 chest compressions with two breaths every time you perform CPR. On average, however, it’s recommended that healthcare providers do about 6 to 10 cycles of CPR during an arrest before switching to external defibrillation. While chest compressions are important to keep blood flowing around your body and can be effective without any additional air exchanges, once you begin mouth-to-mouth ventilation it’s best to stick with them until paramedics arrive and take over care.
Circulation Check While Performing CPR:
If a victim is unresponsive, check to see if they are breathing by tilting their head back and looking under their chin with your mouth close to their nose. If you can see that they are breathing, stop CPR and get help. If they are not breathing, tilt their head back and lift up their chin so that you can pinch their nose closed. Breathe twice into their mouth until you see chest rise, then perform 30 chest compressions.
Chain of Survival:
The chain of survival includes five links that can keep you or someone else alive long enough to receive definitive medical treatment. The links in order are: 1) early access; 2) early CPR; 3) early defibrillation; 4) effective advanced life support (including airway management and breathing support), and 5) integrated post-cardiac arrest care. By teaching people how to apply these methods, you’re helping to create a strong chain that can break through certain barriers along your community’s road to effective, timely care. In other words, by learning CPR, you may be one link closer to keeping someone alive until paramedics arrive on the scene.
Safe Transportation After Cardiac Arrest:
Bystanders who witness a sudden cardiac arrest can help save lives by calling 911 and providing CPR if trained. The American Heart Association recommends at least 30 chest compressions per minute; however, many certified emergency medical technicians administer compressions at a rate that is too slow. At such a low rate, they aren’t moving enough blood through an arrest victim’s body to properly oxygenate vital organs and keep them from becoming damaged. To combat this problem, AZ AED and All-Pro CPR have launched a campaign called Faster Is Safer—aimed at making sure every EMT gets retrained to administer CPR at 130 beats per minute. For more information about certification requirements in your state, click here.
