Learning how to perform rescue breathing, cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) for adults, children, and infants, and neonatal resuscitation are all examples of resuscitation training. Defibrillator training, or learning how to use an automated external defibrillator (AED), and mechanical CPR device training are two other types of resuscitation training. Advanced life support includes training in orotracheal intubation (ALS). Hands-Only CPRTM, which is self-taught, can also be considered resuscitation training.
CPR is actually a combination of two skills — chest compressions and rescue breathing — and is most commonly performed by healthcare providers. Non-breathing victims with a pulse are given rescue breathing, which some people still refer to as “mouth-to-mouth.” Only if the patient has no pulse are chest compressions performed. In addition to learning how to use a variety of medical equipment for superior ventilation and airway maintenance, healthcare providers receive resuscitation training for performing rescue breathing. They learn how to perform orotracheal intubation using equipment such as the Combitube®, King LT®, oropharyngeal and nasopharyngeal airways, and the laryngoscope.
The placement of an endotracheal tube directly into the trachea, also known as the windpipe, is known as orotracheal intubation. This type of medical intervention necessitates advanced resuscitation training and a great deal of practice, because if done incorrectly, the procedure can quickly result in a patient’s death. Neonatal resuscitation encompasses not only the restoration of the neonate’s spontaneous breathing and heartbeat, but also the establishment of these vital functions. It also necessitates a variety of levels of specialized training.
The various types of resuscitation training are, in some ways, a reflection of the various levels of training. Laypeople, for example, are more likely to learn Hands-Only CPRTM, whereas those wishing to work in emergency medical services in the United States must learn at least all of the resuscitation procedures at the basic life support (BLS) level in order to work on an ambulance or in a hospital emergency room. All advanced life support resuscitation skills must be learned by paramedic specialists and critical care paramedics. Resuscitation equipment training is typically only provided within EMS systems that use it.