The American Heart Association has rolled out a new Infant CPR Anytime Personal Learning Program. This new training program can be used to learn skills that could help save the life of an infant (newborn-12 months). The kit includes a one-of-a-kind infant CPR manikin, a 22-minute skills training DVD and two fold-out Quick-Reference Skills Reminders.
The Mini Baby manikin is an inflatable version of a traditional infant CPR manikin and was designed by Laerdal Medical, a leading manufacturer of therapy and training products. An instructional DVD walks users through each step of the training, from inflating the manikin, doing chest compressions and rescue breathing, to how to relieve choking in an infant. Because the training materials are contained in a take-home kit, Infant CPR Anytime allows all family members to learn and brush up on their skills periodically.
Knowing how to perform the relatively simple skills of CPR and relief of choking can make a life or death difference for infants who suffer cardiac arrest or whose airways become blocked by food or objects.
Estimates of the number of pediatric out-of-hospital cardiac arrests vary widely. These arrests are attributed to several causes, including trauma,
sudden infant death syndrome, respiratory causes, cardiovascular causes and submersion (near-drowning). Sadly, the reported average survival to hospital discharge after pediatric out-of-hospital cardiac arrest is 6.7 percent.
According to the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, unintentional choking and suffocation are the leading cause of all injury deaths for infants under the age of one. In 2001, more than 636 infants died from unintentional choking or suffocation.
"Because the home is the most likely place for an infant to choke or
suffer cardiac arrest, parents and caretakers are among the most important people to be trained in infant CPR and the relief of choking," said Monica Kleinman, M.D., national spokesperson for the American Heart Association and clinical director, Medical/Surgical Intensive Care Unit, Children's Hospital Boston. "Infant CPR Anytime is an important and convenient way for all caretakers to gain the peace of mind of knowing they're prepared to
help the infants who are part of their lives."
Infant CPR Anytime kits may be purchased now by visiting http://www.shopcpranytime.org or calling 1-877-AHA-4CPR.