One of the penultimate events on the calendar was the CPR Workshop at BVNA Congress. Fresh from the amazing retreat and a successful day at the AVA Congress it was time for me and the motley crew to get back on the road.
The large workshops are a bit of a logistical challenge. Packing up 6 mannikins, 6 laryngoscopes, 6 Ambu-bags, ET tubes, a mini crash kit and all the documentation results in a flipping ginormous suitcase. Which I did repeatedly tell multiple people did not contain clothes or shoes! Huge thanks to ACE Vet Supplies for keeping me equipped for these bigger events.
I got up super early to go bag myself a top parking space and with equipment successfully at the venue I then recruited the lovely Jack Pye to get it all in the room. The very small room, I can’t have been very clear on the emails because the room wasn’t large… channelling my vet nurse vibes with the steward we made a plan and cleared some space, in a somewhat less conventional way, but hey we do what we need to do.
Space created I then set about looking for a table to run a full simulation on, the speakers table would have to do. With a bit juggling and reorganising the room was ready for the lucky 25. Numbers were kept deliberately small to allow participation, so it was a little disappointing when a few didn’t show up. Still, we got on. The first part of the CPR Workshop is always theory. Jumping straight into practical without setting the scene or checking knowledge isn’t the best way to learn and I try to avoid this.
CPR Workshop-key take homes
With the recap of Basic Life Support (BLS) taught in line with the RECOVER 2024 Guidelines we then got on the floor and got to grips with BLS. Intubating in lateral, ventilating at the correct rate and then also perfecting the posture for compressions. We always ensure that posture is covered in the CPR workshop, good posture is needed to keep the compressions effective and energy efficient. People are always surprised by how simple changes can make compressions easier! Channeling their inner perky, pecking chickens they all did fantastic.
With 6 groups getting into the basics of CPR it did get a little chaotic, but we saw some fantastic BLS, and everyone demonstrated an excellent understanding of BLS. We finished with simulations using some great software that allowed attendees to start to consider how they may start to use the RECOVER algorithm in practice. A fantastic 90 minutes whizzed by, and I hope those that attended have been left feeling much more confident with CPR the RECOVER way.