If you have already passed your CPR certification test, you may be wondering why you should recertify? Apart from the fact that your certification only covers a certain length of time, up to two years with some providers, your knowledge levels wont last this long. Also things change.

The American Heart Association is always looking at ways to improve the currently appalling statistics. With only 8% of those who suffer a sudden cardiac arrest away from hospital surviving, they know they have a long way to go. A significant change in guidelines was announced in October 2010. You will have learnt the old method. There is no formal requirement for you to learn the new one until your current certification runs out but you may want to educate yourself about the changes. Most people have welcomed the changes as they should making performing CPR much easier.

So if you don’t need to learn the new guidelines why should you brush up your knowledge? Statistics show that we very quickly forget the skills we have learnt. While the chances of you needing your first aid knowledge are thankfully quite low, this isn’t an excuse for not keeping your finger on the pulse. You never know when someone nearby may have a sudden cardiac arrest and given you took the time to become CPR certified at some point in time, you obviously would like to help people if you can.

The average retention time after learning a new skill is less than a year. Studies showed that those who passed their courses had forgotten almost all of what they studied within twelve months. Some had forgotten after only eight weeks. So what can you do to keep your skills updated? Home study will help. Watch a quick CPR training video or DVD to remind yourself of the key points every once and a while. You can find a lot of material online but be careful what sites you trust. There are some providers who will charge you to take a recertification exam but you will find that your new qualification is worthless.

You could consider attending a refresher course. You will find these offered by the American Red Cross or American Heart Association. You could organise one at your workplace, attend a local college or study online. Some employers require you to hold a valid certificate and if you fail to recertify you could put your job at risk. If this is the case in your company, your employer should be willing to give you time off to attend a class.

American Heart Association (AHA) and American Red Cross are continuously making efforts to spread awareness about the lifesaving automatic external defibrillators or AEDs. These devices are needed in all public places, offices, and organizations as defibrillation shock is the only definitive treatment for sudden cardiac arrest. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) helps in pumping oxygenated blood through the body of the victim but it fails to bring heart rate to normal which is possible by delivering a shock via a defibrillator.

With the increase in awareness about AEDs, the companies and organizations need to be prepared to tackle a situation involving cardiac emergency or they face greater threat of being involved in a law suit. In fact, there have been instances where lawsuits were filed for not having an AED.

In 1996, Busch Gardens had to pay $ 500,000 in damages to the plaintiff for death of her teenage daughter as the employees of Busch Gardens were not trained to provide emergency care. Lufthansa Airlines was sued for not being able to treat a passenger victimized by sudden cardiac arrest. A suit was also filed against United Airlines by a widow whose husband had died from sudden cardiac arrest. She alleged that the airline was not carrying proper medical equipment to provide timely treatment to her husband.

American Heart Association’s Heartsaver AED Anytime Personal Learning Program is perfect for imparting the knowledge for performing CPR and using an AED. The aim of this course is to train the rescuers to minimize the risks to both the victim and the responder. Most organizations are hesitant to follow a public access defibrillation (PAD) program as they are afraid of being sued. There have been no known instances of a lay rescuer being sued for providing CPR or defibrillation as Good Samaritans.

For buying an AED, a prescription from a physician is required according to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Though the rules may differ from state to state but almost every state requires an individual to undergo basic CPR and AED courses from organizations like American Heart Association. Laws were also passed so that people could help a victim of sudden cardiac arrest in an emergency medical situation without fear of any repercussions. In November 2000, the Cardiac Arrest Survival Act (CASA) was signed into law and it directs that automated external defibrillators should be placed in federal buildings. It also exempts Good Samaritans from any liability for providing defibrillation in case of sudden cardiac arrest.

If a business or organization possesses an AED, it has to comply with the AED regulations and AED protocols. AED requirements also include AED trained staff. Also AED equipment should be placed properly so that anybody can access it in time of need. It is important to follow the guidelines of the American Red Cross and American Heart Association. It is also crucial to evaluate at least once every month that the AED device is in a condition to be readily used in case of an emergency medical situation.