2008-04-16 19:58:35 -

SANTA ROSA DE COPAN, HONDURAS--'I had seven children die in one night,' a Honduran ACLS (Advanced Cardiac Life Support) student told Kirby Switzer, MD, and Jean Morgan, MSN, RN and CNP, both of Mercy Medical, who trained and passed 28 of 29 medical and nursing staff members following American Heart Association guidelines in ACLS in three two-day sessions in Santa

Rosa de Copan public health hospital in Honduras.
'Before they took the training, they would never defibrillate,' said Jean. 'They treated every case like a DNR (Do Not Resuscitate) and hoped the patient didn't die.'
'85% of the rhythms are shockable. For certain rhythms, you must shock the heart quickly. If you defib within two minutes, there's a 60-70% survival rate. Survival rate decreases by 10 % every minute.' explained Jean. 'That's why AEDs (Automatic Electronic Defibrillation) are everywhere in the U.S.'
Jean told about a student who came into class and said they had used the defibrillator for the first time the previous night and restored the cardiac rhythm from the lethal rhythm. 'They were all very excited that they used the American Heart Association instruction their next shift,' said Jean. 'With knowledge came empowerment.'
'What is incredible is that our ACLS students are fourth year medical students, and they're the only ones in hospital--without supervision and only one on a shift at night,' said Kirby.
'Dr. Sweitzer did a remarkable job conveying the importance of advanced cardiac life support, and the interns did a fantastic job of incorporating the new knowledge into their practice,' commented Jean. 'How valuable his instructions and role model was for the students.'
'I was very intrigued when I first heard about CAMO,' said Kirby. 'I've been invited on other missions trips. But you wonder what happens when you leave. For that week, you help a certain number of people, but who knows what happens to the people. CAMO has a year-round presence and teaches counterparts. This is the way missions should be done.'
'I want to be able to take better care of the patients,' is the reason most cited for getting ACLS certification. 'I want to improve patient care,' said another. 'They will be the best trained doctors there,' said Kirby. 'Right now they have no power, but they will someday shape policy and care within that hospital.'
CAMO is the National Registry for the American Heart Association in Honduras as the only authorized organization offering certification in Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) and Cardiac Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) in Honduras. Approximately 150 are trained each year by CAMO.
Since 1993, CAMO has renovated the Hospital de Occidente, public health and community buildings and continually expanded to now offer 17 healthcare programs in Santa Rosa de Copan. CAMO, a humanitarian aid organization based in Orrville, OH, cares for more than 143,000 medical needs with an average of $2 million in donated medical supplies, equipment and expertise annually. CAMO, a 501(c) 3 non-profit, multiplies every $1 donated into $4.
To learn more about the caring work of CAMO, visit: www.CAMO.org