January 26, 2011                                                                         570-893-5420

LHU Students Participate in ACLS Training

Lock Haven Hospital hosts certification course 

Lock Haven, PA – Students from the Lock Haven University physician’s assistant program recently participated in the Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) training class held at Lock Haven Hospital.

Students learned the ACLS protocol for handling patients who are experiencing serious medical emergencies such as cardiac arrest. ACLS also refers to the skills and training necessary to use the protocol safely and properly. Because ACLS involves advanced medical skills, certification and training in ACLS is only offered to medical professionals such as doctors and nurses, since lay people do not have the necessary knowledge and skills and is requirement in many hospitals and health care environments.

ACLS is an expansion on Basic Life Support (BLS), which includes Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) and other simple measures to stabilize a patient until he or she can receive more experienced medical care. Much like CPR, ACLS relies on the ABC's of first aid, in which the airway of the patient is secured, breathing is assessed and stabilized, and circulation is closely monitored. People who are certified in ACLS can provide more advanced interventions as needed.

Medical interventions such as intubation, the placement of a tube to open the airway and shocking with a defibrillator to regulate heart rhythm are one part of ACLS, as the administering of drugs that can aide with resuscitation. An ACLS provider must be able to rapidly and accurately read data like electrocardiograms, and make decisions for the patient based on this data.

ACLS certification also includes training in how to start intravenous (IV) lines, giving medical personnel quick access to the patient's veins. Surgical intervention such as the placement of central lines and chest tubes is also included in ACLS training.

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