Professor Alexander Pott, Head of Cardiology at Bonifatius Hospital in Lingen, launched the “Herzensretter Bronze” project at Georgianum Grammar School in Lingen, which is being implemented under the patronage of the German Heart Foundation and in cooperation with the Lingen branch of the German Life Saving Association (DLRG).
In his speech, Prof. Pott, a member of the German Heart Foundation’s Scientific Advisory Board, used vivid case studies and scientific facts to raise the audience’s awareness of the topic of resuscitation and inspired the pupils for the upcoming “Bronze Heart Saver” project.
Under the patronage and with financial support from the German Heart Foundation, the ‘Heart Savers in Bronze’ project can be implemented at the Georgianum Grammar School in Lingen for Year 10 pupils in cooperation with the DLRG Lingen. Prof. Dr Pott and Mr Hermann Hesse, Honorary Representative of the German Heart Foundation for the Emsland and the County of Bentheim, were invited as representatives of the German Heart Foundation.
In his welcoming speech, Mr Lucas Sieberg emphasised the great importance of this project for the Georgianum Grammar School. He went on to say that he hoped the pupils would never find themselves in a situation where resuscitation was necessary. “But should this happen, I hope that you will be in capable hands so that you can be helped. And as first aiders, I hope that you are trained to be able to help courageously and confidently,” continued Sieberg. “Because as heart saviours, you will learn to act decisively in an emergency. You will learn how to save lives through vital measures – and perhaps one day you will be the very people who make the difference at the crucial moment.”
Mr Jansen is the branch manager of the DLRG (Lingen branch) and is already well known to the pupils. In Year 8, he led the first aid project ‘First Aid with Self-Protection’. The Year 10 pupils completed this course with him two years ago.
In further remarks, Prof. Pott emphasised the importance of lay resuscitation: “I know of no modern medication or other modern medical method with such high effectiveness at virtually no cost. In modern medicine, lay resuscitation can be a real ‘game-changer’ for saving lives.” In this context, he recalled milestones in the history of medicine, such as the discoveries of Alexander Fleming and Robert Koch.
“In cardiac resuscitation, the most important thing is to act,” said Pott. “Those providing assistance need courage to carry out the procedures.” Mr Jansen supported this statement: “Check – call – press – don’t leave any gaps when pressing. That is the slogan designed to help people internalise the order in which each measure should be taken.”
In lay resuscitation, it is important to note that chest compressions are crucial to the further course of the emergency. Chest compressions should be performed at a high rate of approximately 100–120 times per minute. Well-known songs such as “Stayin’ Alive”, “Yellow Submarine” or “Happy Birthday” have a suitable rhythm and can help you get the frequency right. Ventilation can be omitted initially, as there is still sufficient oxygen in the patient’s blood to last for approx. 5–10 minutes. Furthermore, chest compressions also cause some air exchange in the lungs, which should be sufficient to ensure the brain continues to receive some oxygen. The conclusion to be drawn from this must be: have the courage to press, to a depth of 5–6 cm. Naturally, the emergency services must also be notified; in Lingen, they should usually arrive within approximately 8 to 10 minutes.
In a further step, Prof. Pott explained the theory behind the symptoms of sudden cardiac death. He presented heart attacks, various cardiac arrhythmias and heart failure in a vivid and tangible manner, using interesting case studies to illustrate them as possible causes of sudden cardiac death. The distinction between dilated and hypertrophic cardiomyopathies rounded off this theoretical section in a very concrete and technical manner.
Prof. Pott has been working on this subject for many years. He brings a wealth of experience from his previous role at the University Heart Centre in Ulm, where his research focused on arrhythmias and genetic heart diseases; there, he led the clinic for genetic heart diseases and cared for numerous young people at increased risk of sudden cardiac death.
He also explained that clinical presentations can be diagnosed and treated using modern methods. For instance, an ECG is mandatory. Depending on the diagnosis, further investigations may follow. On this point, Mr Hesse gave an impressive and gripping account of his personal experiences. He spoke about a cardiac catheterisation procedure. His message to the students was: “Never smoke, eat a balanced diet and keep active. Taking the initiative to administer first aid is cool and can save so many lives.”
Should it be necessary to use a defibrillator in an emergency, the Georgianum is very well equipped in this regard. “There are now four defibrillators at the Georgianum,” reports Dr Kaufhold. “During school opening hours, the defibrillators are easily accessible. They are located in central areas: in the school office, outside the staff room, in the sports hall and outside the swimming pool, and in the changing rooms of the outdoor sports facilities.” In this context, Dr Kaufhold also outlined the new first-aid concept he had developed for the Georgianum Grammar School. As part of this reorganisation, he also came up with the idea of reviving the school first-aid service, which he has been promoting ever since. This was quickly followed by the idea of better integrating first aid into everyday school life, particularly the topic of resuscitation measures, which – once practised – can save lives. Through cooperation with the DLRG, the German Heart Foundation and Prof. Dr Pott, his idea has developed into a comprehensive programme, ranging from training within the school first-aid service and lifeguard training to the seminar subject Cardiovascular Medicine, which is partly delivered in a practical setting within the cardiology department of Bonifatius Hospital in Lingen.
In conclusion, Mr Sieberg expressed his gratitude for the excellent technical foundation laid by Prof. Pott’s lecture for the ‘Heart Saver’ course. “It will now be easier for the pupils to understand the processes involved in resuscitation and to grasp the extraordinary importance of resuscitation measures. On this basis, we can now begin learning resuscitation in a very practical way next week,” said Sieberg, highlighting the significance of the introductory session.
The ‘Herzensretter in Bronze’ project for Year 10 pupils provides a useful complement to the school’s first aid training programme. The Georgianum Grammar School works very closely with the DLRG Lingen in this area. In addition to the ‘Herzensretter in Bronze’ project, the annual first aid project for Year 8 pupils (covering first aid and self-protection) has been running for several years. During this, pupils spend a morning (6 teaching units) learning about first aid in specific emergency situations. In addition, first aid courses are offered annually. Furthermore, pupils from Year 10 onwards can join the school’s first-aid team. The first-aid team is closely supported and co-organised by the DLRG. For instance, the DLRG is responsible for training the school first-aiders to become first-aid assistants (SAN A). Since this school year, Georgianum Grammar School has also been taking part in the Björn Steiger Foundation’s ‘Herzsicher in der Schule’ (Heart Safe at School) project (from Year 7 onwards). To this end, around 30 teachers have been trained as multipliers this school year.
Text: Marc Kaufhold, Photos: Stefan Roters
Professor Alexander Pott, Chief Physician of Cardiology at Bonifatius Hospital in Lingen, launches the "Herzensretter Bronze" (Bronze Heart Saver) project at Georgianum Grammar School in Lingen, which is being implemented under the patronage of the German Heart Foundation and in cooperation with the DLRG (German Life Saving Association), Lingen branch.
In his speech, Prof. Pott, a member of the German Heart Foundation's scientific advisory board, used vivid case studies and scientific facts to raise awareness among his audience about the topic of resuscitation and to get the students excited about the upcoming "Bronze Heart Saver" project.
Under the patronage and with financial support from the German Heart Foundation, the Bronze Heart Saver project can be implemented at the Georgianum Lingen Grammar School for Year 10 in cooperation with the DLRG Lingen. Prof. Dr. Pott and Mr Hermann Hesse, honorary representative of the German Heart Foundation for the Emsland and Grafschaft Bentheim regions, were invited as representatives of the German Heart Foundation.
In his welcoming speech, Mr Lucas Sieberg emphasised the great importance of this project for the Georgianum Grammar School. He went on to say that he hoped the pupils would never find themselves in a situation where resuscitation was necessary. "But if this should happen, I hope that you will be in capable hands so that you can be helped. And I hope that, as first responders, you will be trained to help courageously and confidently," Sieberg continued. "Because as heart savers, you will learn to act decisively in an emergency. You will learn how to save lives by taking vital measures – and perhaps one day you will be the ones who make the difference at the crucial moment."
Mr Jansen is the branch manager of the DLRG (Lingen local group) and is already well known to the pupils. In Year 8, he led the first aid project "First aid with self-protection content". The Year 10 pupils already completed this with him two years ago.
In further remarks, Prof. Pott emphasised the importance of lay resuscitation: "I know of no modern medication or other modern medical method that is so highly effective at virtually no cost. Lay resuscitation can be a real game changer in modern medicine when it comes to saving lives." In this context, he recalled milestones in medical history, such as the discoveries of Alexander Flemming and Rodert Koch.
"When performing cardiac resuscitation, it is primarily important to act," said Pott. "Those providing assistance need courage to carry out the measures." Mr Jansen supported this statement: "Check – call – press – don't stop pressing. That's the slogan that should be internalised to remember the order in which the measures should be taken."
When performing lay resuscitation, it is important to note that chest compressions are crucial for the further course of the emergency. Chest compressions should be performed at a high frequency of approximately 100–120 times per minute. Well-known songs such as "Stayin' Alive", "Yellow Submarine" or "Happy Birthday" have a suitable rhythm and can help you choose the right frequency. Ventilation is not necessary at first, as there is still enough oxygen in the patient's blood for approx. 5-10 minutes. In addition, chest compressions also cause some air exchange in the lungs, which should be sufficient for the brain to continue to receive some oxygen. The conclusion to be drawn from this is: have the courage to compress, and do so to a depth of 5-6 cm. Of course, the emergency services must also be informed, who in Lingen should usually arrive after approx. 8 to 10 minutes.
In a further step, Prof. Pott explained the theory behind the appearance of sudden cardiac death. He presented heart attacks, various cardiac arrhythmias and heart failure in a vivid and tangible way, using interesting case studies as possible causes of sudden cardiac death. The distinction between dilated and hypertrophic cardiomyopathies rounded off this theoretical part in a very concrete manner.
Prof. Pott has been working on this topic for many years. He brings a wealth of experience from his previous position at the University Heart Centre in Ulm, where his scientific focus was on arrhythmias and genetic heart diseases; there, he headed the consultation hours for genetic heart diseases and cared for numerous young people with an increased risk of sudden cardiac death.
He also explained that modern methods can be used to diagnose and treat clinical pictures. For example, an ECG is mandatory. Depending on the diagnosis, further examinations may follow. Mr Hesse gave an impressive and gripping account of his personal experiences. He reported on a cardiac catheterisation examination. His appeal to the students was: "Never smoke, eat a balanced diet and exercise. First aid with the courage to act is cool and can save so many lives."
Should it be necessary to use a defibrillator in an emergency, the Georgianum is very well equipped for this. "There are now four defibrillators at the Georgianum," reports Dr Kaufhold. "The defibrillators are easily accessible during school hours. They are located in central locations: in the school office, in front of the staff room, in the sports hall and in front of the swimming pool, and in the changing room building of the outdoor sports facility." In this context, Dr Kaufhold also outlined his newly developed first aid concept for the Georgianum grammar school. In the course of this reorganisation, he also came up with the idea of reviving the school medical service, which he has been promoting ever since. This was quickly followed by the idea of better integrating first aid into everyday school life, in particular the topic of resuscitation measures, which – once practised – can save lives. Through cooperation with the DLRG, the German Heart Foundation and Prof. Dr. Pott, his idea has developed into a comprehensive concept that ranges from training as part of the school medical service to lifeguard training and a seminar course in cardiovascular medicine, part of which takes place in the cardiology department of the Bonifatius Hospital in Lingen.
In conclusion, Mr Sieberg expressed his gratitude for the excellent technical foundation provided by Prof. Pott's lecture for the heart rescuer course. "It will now be easier for the pupils to understand the processes involved in resuscitation and to grasp the extraordinary importance of resuscitation measures. On this basis, we can now start learning resuscitation in a very practical way next week," said Sieberg, emphasising the importance of the introductory event.
The Bronze Heart Saver project for Year 10 rounds off the first aid qualification programme in a meaningful way. The Georgianum Grammar School works very closely with the DLRG Lingen in this area. In addition to the Bronze Heart Saver project, there has been an annual first aid project for Year 8 (first aid with self-protection content) for several years. During this project, pupils spend a morning (6 teaching units) learning about first aid in special emergency situations. In addition, first aid courses are offered annually. Furthermore, pupils from Year 10 onwards can participate in the school's first aid service. The school first aid service is closely supervised and co-organised by the DLRG. The DLRG is responsible for training the school first aiders to become medical assistants (SAN A). Since this school year, the Georgianum Grammar School has also been participating in the Björn Steiger Foundation's Herzsicher in der Schule (Heart Safe at School) project (from Year 7 onwards). Around 30 teachers have been trained as multipliers for this project during this school year.
Text: Marc Kaufhold, photos: Stefan Roters.
