Community | 7/6/2015 4:26:00 PM
BALTIMORE – Members of the Coppin State University athletics staff completed CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) and AED (automated external defibrillator) training Monday afternoon.
CLICK HERE FOR PHOTO GALLERY For many of the staff members it was a perfect opportunity to re-familiarize themselves on the life-saving procedures and techniques needed to provide immediate assistance.
The training session was arranged by Coppin State's Athletic Trainer
Aisha Russell and facilitated by Eilnaz Momenzadeh, who was making her first visit to Coppin State. During the one-hour course, each staff member present got an opportunity to practice giving chest compressions, sweeping the airway, using a defibrillator and practicing the Heimlich maneuver on a mannequin.
"I absolutely love training an athletic staff," Momenzadeh said. "It means a lot to me when I see people taking a step forward in trying to react in an emergency."
Coppin State's coaches and staff enjoyed learning the new CPR techniques which emphasized doing chest compressions ahead of providing mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. The American Heart Association uses the acronym of CAB — compressions, airway, breathing — to help people remember the order to perform the steps of CPR.
"Every couple of years I'm reminded of the sudden need that could crop up that requires me to assist an individual in a health crisis," Coppin State head baseball coach
Sherman Reed said. "As a coach we assume that the need for intervention will occur on an athletic field, but a crisis really could occur at any place at any time. That's why I look forward to the refresher course that re-certifies me in the areas of CPR and AED. I never take this activity lightly."
About 92 percent of sudden cardiac arrest victims die before reaching the hospital, but statistics prove that if more people knew CPR, more lives could be saved. Immediate CPR can double, or even triple, a victim's chance of survival.
CPR can keep oxygenated blood flowing to the brain and other vital organs until more definitive medical treatment can restore a normal heart rhythm. When the heart stops, the lack of oxygenated blood can cause brain damage in only a few minutes. A person may die within eight to 10 minutes.
"Having this type of training especially here in athletics is critical just in case something happens during an event or practice and a certified trainer isn't around," Russell said. "It's better to have so that everybody knows what to do in an emergency. It's always good to have a CPR refresher course because you don't know what changes have been made."
