Dental Emergencies: Responding to Cardiac Arrest

Actress Brittany Murphy’s untimely death at the age of 32 from what has assumed to be cardiac arrest is making headlines around the world and causing individuals and industries to reevaluate how they deal when such a situation occurs. Many dental clinics are prepared to respond to such a medical emergency in their offices, and Florida even made it law that all practices have a defibrillator.

If you have  a dental practice, and you’re wondering what you should do to prepare for a medical emergency like cardiac arrest, here are some suggestions:

1. Have a defibrillator – all staff should be trained in the use of a defibrillator, and it should be kept in an easily accessible place in the office where everyone present has access to it if it’s required

2. Receive first aid training - it’s recommended that at least one person present in a dentist office at all times has received first aid training. Certification cards expire every 2 years.

3. Discuss safety drills - safety drills are handy for any medical emergency, not just cardiac arrest. Every member of the team in the dental practice should have a role. One might be tending to the person who has fallen ill, while another calls 911 and another ensures that other patients in the office are kept out of the way and have the situation explained to them as necessary.

4. Keep records - if you have a defibrillator , it needs to be inspected regularly (depending upon the laws and recommendations in your state). Keep this documentation to reduce liability.

Via: Flickr Creative Commons

Originally Posted at ToothSavers.Wordpress.com

This entry was posted on Wednesday, January 13th, 2010 at 3:52 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.