3 Life Saving Techniques Everybody Should Learn

We face hundred different situations and problems in our daily life and our basic common sense and knowledge facilitates us in solving them. For any difficulty that comes across, we need some sort-of an idea or knowledge about the problem to have some grip on it. The everyday situations that we face are wide-ranging and at any time, there could be a case which poses a threat to the life of somebody around you. At most times, people do not know how to react and fail to handle the situation properly. For a better planning and execution, basic first-aid skills should be known to everybody as they can be needed in any emergency without warning. For a complete knowledge of techniques, taking a course from a professional institute is important and here is some information about the five most important first-aid techniques people should have an idea about.

One of the most common and dangerous emergencies that are faced is a sudden problem in breathing. CPR or cardiovascular pulmonary resuscitation is a method that is used to revive the breathing of a person. At a lot of times, due to some physical problem the breath of a person can stop and if not treated immediately, the person can lose his or her life. CPR is the method of reviving the person with the help of compressions and breaths. It is a set procedure and there are three basic CPR actions that have to be conducted. To conduct a PR, tilt the head of the victim in a backward position and start by giving chest compressions and do it at regular intervals after giving the lungs, time to expand. The pattern is to give 30 compressions and two breaths and this should be repeated till the time the person begins to breath. Simultaneously call 911 and make sure medical help arrives as soon as possible.

Another very common emergency that has the capability of taking a life is the problem of cardiac arrests. With stressed lifestyles and high cholesterol levels, cardiac arrests have become something very ordinary and can happen to anybody. Immediate attention is required to prevent the person from dying and this is only possible with the help of the shocking devices available at most public places. These shocking devices are technically called AED or Automated External De-fibrillators and are used as immediate shocking devices to revive the heart. Cardiac arrests happen due to sudden disruption in the heart beats and can only be brought to normal with the help of these devices. AEDs are very easy to use and with proper knowledge, even students can use it with proper training.

When out somewhere or met with an accident, bleeding is something very ordinary and lethal at the same time. To stop the bleeding, pressure needs to be applied to the wound with the help of a clean and sterile gauze. If it is not available in any condition, a towel or a cloth can be used for the same purpose. If it is possible, the wound should be raised above the heart to prevent excessive bleeding. These are the three most important techniques people of all ages and backgrounds should know and training is highly important to know the right way to do it.

3 Reasons Why Long Term Ventilated Patients Need Specialised Intensive Home Care Nursing Services

Reason one: Quality of Life for Customers and their families. There is no such thing as Quality of Life for a long-term ventilated Patient with Tracheostomy in Intensive Care. I vividly remember this 38 year old gentlemen being diagnosed with Guillan Barre- Syndrome. He spent a good three and a half months in ICU on a ventilator with a Tracheostomy. Hell was he depressed and frustrated- and so was his family. His elderly Parents, his young wife and his two young children spent far too much time in Intensive Care, with their family life, their health and their general well being suffering. This gentlemen could have gone home after one month, if specialised services had been available. The only thing that kept him in Intensive Care was his ventilator dependency and the lack of specialised home Intensive Care Nursing services.

Reason two: Quality of-end-of-Life for Customers and their families. The full force of exposure to suffering, pain and vulnerability hits when somebody is dying slowly on a ventilator with Tracheostomy in ICU. Everybody who has witnessed the slow death of a Patient dying on a ventilator with Tracheostomy in Intensive Care, will not forget the experience. I remember a number of cases vividly over recent years, but the one that probably stood out most, was a young lady in her mid- fifties. After a new set of lungs had given her a few more years to live, she now was readmitted back to Intensive Care and the full force of respiratory failure hit her. Over a good 8-12 week period, this lady and her family went through hell. Fully conscious most of the time, she occupied a bed space in midst of the unit, glaring at people who passed by. Intensive Care is a very busy 24/7 environment- I had to throw that in- and in the middle of this 24/7 thoroughfare was this lady, surrounded by her family, most of the time and everybody could actually see what was going on. People should have seen her husband. I remember that at the beginning of the lady's ICU admission, he was full of strength, very supportive and always friendly and chatty' with the staff. Towards the end of his wife's stay in Intensive Care, he could hardly walk with a sore back. I think he felt the full force of what him and his wife had been through, despite of all the efforts of the marvellous ICU staff.

Quality- of-end-of -life is not a term Health services, hospitals or even palliative services use and I believe it is so underrated. Shouldn't?Palliative services' be renamed to Quality of-end-of-life services'? Shouldn't we strive to provide Quality of-end-of-life, just as much as we strive to get Patients out of Intensive Care in a better condition than what they came in for? Isn't it a privilege to provide Quality at the end of somebody's life? I believe it is. Death is part of life- and the sooner we accept and embrace it and make it part of our day to day living, the more creative and accepting we get of the fact that there is Quality, even at the end of our lives.

Reason three: Quality of work environment for staff in Intensive Care. Everybody who has worked in Intensive Care for a period of time, whether Nurses, Doctors, Physiotherapists or anybody else who has come in contact with a long- term mechanically ventilated Patient with Tracheostomy and their families, knows the feeling and the uneasiness when a Patient has been in Intensive Care for sometimes many weeks or many months. Those Patients are very often not on the 'top priority' list of anyone within the ICU environment. Depending on the Intensive Care unit layout, those Patients might be left in a side room, with an Agency nurse looking after the Patient, because the permanent staff, have lost their enthusiasm looking after the Patient. So the Patient is then left with the Agency Nurse looking after the 'day 68 Trachy Patient'. Now, no disrespect to Agency nurses, but it is usually the permanent staff of an organisation that is usually more engaged with Patient care.

Furthermore, the Patient has also 'slipped' down the priority list of the Medical staff. They very often come and see this Patient last on their ward rounds. As nothing is moving forward with this Patient anyway and everybody is feeling the burden of not really making any progress with this Patient, everybody is a bit like, "well there is not much we can do with Joe anyway. He's got a Trachy and is still ventilated- so what are we going to do?". The discussion around Joe is not going to move forward, as the ICU team has not many more options to provide Quality of Life for Joe.

Once again, everybody who knows and understands how an ICU operates and functions, knows that the morale of staff is usually at its lowest, if there has been one or more long- term Patients in Intensive Care, as for Staff in Intensive Care, the higher turn- over Patients are more rewarding, especially if quick and marked improvements can be seen.

How Do Teeth Move During The Braces Treatment?

The purpose of the braces treatment is to help patients shift their teeth into a straight position. Over time, braces move the teeth applying a force that the orthodontist can control and adjust in each appointment. Braces have three basic parts that apply force to the teeth:

- Brackets: are made of metal or ceramic. They are glued to each tooth.

- Archwire: is a thin metal wire that goes into each bracket around the teeth. The arch wire force can be adjusted as needed sometimes by replacing it for a new wire.

- Elastics: are small colored elastics that hold the bracket onto the archwire. The elastics are changed every time they become loose at each adjustment visit to the orthodontist.

The movement of teeth involves different cells and tissues that form the periodontal ligament. The force that braces apply to the teeth stimulates the bones' cells and tissues to move gradually. The periodontal ligament attaches the teeth to the bone and helps the teeth withstand compressive forces of biting. The role of dental braces is to apply a regulated force that guides the teeth into a better position. Brackets produce pressure and tension to the root of the teeth. The archwire applies forces that can be adjusted and cause the teeth to move in a predictable direction. However teeth do not move immediately after braces are placed. The force applied during the braces treatment will start moving the cells and tissues approximately within two to three weeks.

Getting your braces tightened at each adjustment appointment may cause some discomfort or pain. However, this pain will disappear within one to two hours after braces have been tightened. Patients can control the pain by taking some over the counter medication. They should also remember to go to their adjustment appointments since they are very important for the success of the treatment. These appointment should be at least once a month. The more the patient delays these visits to their orthodontist the longer the treatment will take. If braces are not tightened often they will not work as intended. Patients that remove the elastics because they feel pain or discomfort are delaying the treatment even if this is only for a couple of days.

On the other hand, if patients constantly follow the instructions recommended by their orthodontists the treatment can be completed quickly. These instructions include not only to go to adjustment appointments but also to have a good oral hygiene and a proper care of your braces. Healthier teeth will move into the desire position quicker making the braces treatment shorter. When Braces are removed, a retainer has to be used. Retainers will keep the teeth in their new position since they tend to move back to the original position once braces have been taken off.

Storing Linens in a Hospital

Clean and sterile linens, changed frequently, can create the baseline of infection control at any major health care facility, but creating a proper linen care policy does not happen by accident. A hospital administrator needs to establish and enforce strict policies for storing bedding and other cloth in the hospital, whether soiled or clean.

Soiled Linens

Staff members tasked with the removal of soiled linens should be trained in the proper removal and handling of dirty sheets, towels and washcloths. While at home it may be no big deal to shake sheets out to find wayward socks, hospital staff need to be reminded that virtually every patient is a potential source of infection. Staff members should wear gloves whenever handling soiled bedding, and it should be folded toward the middle so that any contaminants in the sheets remain there.

Once the soiled bedding is collected, it should be placed in clearly marked carts or in bags which can then be closed, preventing infectious material and odors from the linens from permeating the area.

Soiled linens should then be pretreated with stain remover as necessary and placed in a loosely loaded washing machine. Stuffing as many sheets as possible into the washer is a good way to prevent cleanliness. They should be washed in hot water and detergent for a minimum of 10 minutes at 105 degrees Fahrenheit before being dried in dryers that reach a minimum of 160 degrees.

Clean Linens

Clean linens should be handled by staff members also wearing gloves to prevent them from transferring contaminants. Clean linens should be folded in an area separate from the handling area for soiled linens. Once folded, the bedding must be placed in clean laundry bags or on covered laundry carts for transporting to proper storage areas.

Unlike a home linen closet which typically gets cleaned during spring and fall cleaning or when things start tumbling down, hospital linen storage areas should be sanitized and sterilized often, preferably at least once a week. Clean linens should be kept in orderly stacks in the linen storage facility and removed only as needed. For transport between the linen storage area and the site where they are needed, clean linens should be kept on a linen cart which is sterilized daily. The cart should be kept covered.

The recommendations for hospital linen storage help prevent the spread of infectious disease and can easily be met by a professional linen service. A professional linen service can be contracted to maintain the cleanliness of the hospital's linen storage area as well as providing clean and sanitized linens. Professional linen services can provide proper storage and delivery of hospital linens as well as inventory and linen maintenance.

An Account of Cerebral Palsy

Cerebral palsy is a non-progressive condition, that is not contagious, and it means that the sufferer is unable to use some of the muscles in their body in the normal way. There are three different types of cerebral palsy. Spastic cerebral palsy refers to stiffness and difficult movement, Athetoid cerebral palsy is the term used to describe involuntary and uncontrolled movements, while Ataxic cerebral palsy sufferers have a disturbed sense of balance and depth. It is usual for one person to exhibit aspects of all types of the condition. It is not curable, but through advanced technologies, many sufferers can lead productive lives.

Sandie, however, was left severely disabled. Now, in her mid-30s, she is just like she was as a two week old baby. Denise explains:

"Sandie has limited senses, we understand she has very little sight, and cannot hear, resulting in her never learning to talk. She recognises people only by their smell. When she wants something, she cries or screams, and we go through the usual things you would with a newborn. She gets advanced medical nutrition via a tube in her stomach and has done for years now, but she is able to drink water and thin fluids. If she isn't hungry or thirsty, we check to see if she has soiled herself, or if she is cold, or needs a cuddle. Illness can be very difficult because she can't tell us where it hurts. Recently, she had problems with her wisdom teeth and she needed a general anaesthetic because it would be too difficult to operate on her with just sedation."

Many children with cerebral palsy go on to get jobs and have a family, depending on how they are affected. Mark, aged 20, has a very different story to tell. He is able to do almost everything normally, and has injections in his legs to help him better control his walking. He works in IT, and lives in a semi-independent living complex with two other cerebral palsy sufferers.

Over the past years, there have been massive developments in the way that cerebral palsy is managed. Botox therapy is beneficial to some, who suffer with involuntary muscular spasms, but every case is unique and is managed as such.

Sandie has benefitted from some physical therapy sessions, but she will never have a normal life. Her mum says that although it sounds like a lot, managing the condition is quite easy once you get into a routine. With lots of support and a lot of learning, Denise has found the best way to spend her time when looking after Sandie, maximising her quality of life.

The Importance of an Inventory System for Linens

A hospital administrator's job is seemingly never done. You've got to make sure everything runs well, patients are cared for, and costs are kept under control despite rising prices for almost everything. Inventory control is imperative to keeping the hospital's overhead low, but hiring more people to keep track of the linens - not to mention washing and sterilizing them, folding them, and storing them - might just break your budget.

One easy solution is to hire a professional linen service. A professional linen service can handle maintaining and caring for your facility's linen needs, as well as keeping tight control over your inventory. Before you decide you can't afford to hire a professional linen service to keep your hospital linens clean and sterile, consider the time savings and the other benefits that come with having a professional do the job.

Better Patient Care

Your staff has more important things to worry about than sterilizing sheets or making sure that hospital towels are folded properly, but these functions are still vital to patient care. Patients expect and deserve linens that are comfortable, clean and wrinkle-free. A professional linen service knows how to get out stains from body fluids and cafeteria foods without resorting to harsh treatments that may irritate some patients' sensitive skin.

Rather than worry that your nurses will waste their valuable - and expensive - time calling about clean sheets, you can rest assured that a professional linen service will keep the supply closet stocked with linens that are ready to use.

Lower Costs

The first objection most hospital administrators have to professional linen services is the cost, but the price is a bargain when the other option is doing it in-house. A professional-grade laundry capable of removing stains and sterilizing linens requires expensive equipment, a variety of stain-fighting agents, and employees, not to mention space to operate.

At most hospitals, both space and employees are at a premium. The capital investment to keep a professional laundry running is high and the maintenance costs can be expensive as well. In addition, to operate an in-house linen system, the hospital needs people to wash, fold and distribute the linens, as well as space to store it. With a professional linen service, the hospital can simply designate areas for soiled linen carts and the service will retrieve the dirty laundry and restock linen storage areas with fresh sheets. Simply put, the reduced hassle and reduced overall cost of using a professional linen service will take one worry off your mind.