Dear Patients,

“Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak, courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen.” ~ Winston Churchill

Last week I visited Birmingham, Alabama to renew my Advanced Cardiac Life Support license (ACLS). Staying current with this training is an essential part of my practice, as we routinely sedate patients and need to be prepared for any potential complication. There have been a number of changes in ACLS and BLS (basic life support) regimens over the years. Recently the American Heart Association has revamped the BLS to emphasize the cardiac compressions and deemphasize the breathes. The current regimen is 60 compressions followed or in conjunction with 2 breathes, with a minimum of 100 compressions per minute. This regimen is based on the consensus of the medical community who feels that cardiac perfusion is the most important component of basic life support therapy. I bring this to everyone’s attention because some people are afraid to perform CPR due to the fear of putting their mouth on someone else’s. The instructors pointed out that simple compressions (2 inches in depth) on an adult by themselves would be better than doing nothing.

Should you or someone you love have questions about ACLS, BLC, or CPR please contact our office.

Sincerely,

Michael W. Dagostino, DDS