The need for emergency life support

The first 200 words of this essay...

The need for emergency life support

"Emergency Life Support" describes the essential knowledge and skills needed in a life-threatening emergency. This may be for a threatened heart attack, sudden collapse, severe bleeding or choking. You should know how to get an ambulance or other medical assistance wherever you are.

To live we need to have a regular supply of oxygen to all parts of our body. In particular the brain will become severely damaged if it is deprived of oxygen for more than a few minutes.

To keep the brain supplied with oxygen three things are essential:

A An open and clear AIRWAY through which air, containing oxygen, can pass to the lungs.

B BREATHING - a process which delivers air into the lungs where oxygen can enter the blood stream.

C A CIRCULATION which requires a pumping heart together with sufficient blood in the blood vessels to carry oxygen from the lungs round the body.

Resuscitation is the term used for the emergency treatment needed to overcome the failure of one or all of these functions. It may consist simply of opening the airway and turning an unconscious casualty