Bag Valve Mask Training
Stamar EMS offers training in BVM on request to men and women in the Healthcare Industry also known as Healthcare Providers (HCP).
About Bag -Valve -Mask (BVM) Ventilation
BVM is a manual way of delivering oxygen to a patient when mechanical solutions are not yet available or when the patient is not getting the care of a medical person able to resolve the issue.
Bag -Valve -Mask (BVM) Ventilation is a crucial skill when trying to save the life of someone who has stopped breathing.
Common reasons people stop breathing include:
- Spinal Cord Trauma
- Stroke
- Diseases like Meningitis Encephalitis
- Poisoning Either from Inhaled Toxins like Carbon Monoxide or Ingested Toxins
- Overdose
- Medical Conditions like Epilepsy and Cystic Fibrosis
- Electric Shock
- Drowning
- Seizures
- Choking
- Blood Clot
- Head Injury
- Heart Attack
- Asthma
- Epilepsy
- Severe Injury
- Chronic Bronchitis
- Tetanus
- Drug Overdose
As you can imagine, the causes that stop a person from breathing often occur away from doctors and the medical equipment necessary to resolve their medical emergency.
Luckily, friends, family members, first responders, and concerned citizens can keep a person who has stopped breathing alive until medical help arrives by using a bag-valve mask and applying the ventilation correctly.
However correctly is the operative word. Unfortunately, many people do not receive the necessary BVM training to save a life and avoid inflicting further physical damage on the person they are trying to save. BVM is considered a simple tool to apply and yet, while training is simple, straightforward and the techniques are easily mastered, applying BVM without the necessary knowledge can be disastrous.
According to Nicole Bosson, a resident in the department of emergency medicine. Bag valve mask ventilation is an essential emergency skill. Studies show that the difference between survival of a person who has stopped breathing is the administration of BVM by a person who has received just a few hours of hands-on training compared to a person who attempts to administer BVM with no training at all.
It is possible to become proficient in BVM techniques in as little as three hours through lecture and hands-on practice according to one study published by the Wisconsin Department of Medicine showing that students learned quickly to provide the potentially life-saving task of BVM ventilation.
We have a fairly high probability of facing a situation where a loved one, co-worker, employee, friend or even a stranger requires our ability to react well to their medical emergency, however with the growing concern about possible pandemic flu outbreaks, epidemics and bioterrorism, this probability may be increasing. Perhaps it is wise if we all learn the very basic, fundamental skill of delivering bag valve mask ventilation.