What Would You Do In A Cardiac Emergency?
Got a minute? If so, you can learn how to save someone’s life.
During National CPR Week, June 1-7, you can watch a 60 second “Hands Only CPR” instructional video so you’ll know what to do during a cardiac emergency. The video, which can viewed at www.heart.org/cpr, teaches simple steps need to help an adult in cardiac arrest.
In fact, a recent study shows that just watching a short instructional CPR video greatly increases the chances that bystanders will attempt CPR. Taking the time to watch the video is important because 70 percent of Americans have never been trained in CPR or their training has significantly lapsed. And when people lack confidence and knowledge of CPR, the odds of survival get worse for victims of cardiac arrest: Less than one-third of those victims get CPR from bystanders.
“One of the reasons Rapides Regional Medical Center was a major sponsor of the recent Start a Heart Cenla event is because we know how important it is that patients experiencing a cardiac emergency receive CPR quickly,” said Theresa Hood, RN, RRMC Education Director. “Most Americans simply don’t know how to help.”
Start a Heart participants learned full CPR with chest compressions and breaths. But bystanders can also assist by using Hands-Only CPR and two simple steps:
- Call 9-1-1
- Push hard and fast on the center of the chest until professional help arrives.
The American Heart Association has endorsed Hands-Only CPR as a treatment for adult cardiac arrest victims since 2008, and studies have shown it is as effective as CPR with breaths. In addition, people who watch a brief Hands-Only CPR training video are significantly more likely to attempt CPR, according to a recent study published in the association’s scientific journal Circulation.
This year, the American Heart Association’s Go Red For Women movement is helping to spread the Hands-Only CPR video through the “Make it Your Mission to Learn CPR” campaign. Because four out of five cardiac arrests happen at home – and because women are typically the family’s health gatekeepers – it is important for women to know what to do in an emergency.
Hands-Only CPR is recommended for adults who suffer a cardiac arrest at home, at work or in another public location. Children under eight years old still need full CPR with chest compressions and breaths since the cause of their cardiac arrest is typically respiratory-related.
“Ideally, everyone should be trained in CPR with hands-on practice,” Hood said. “But for adults in cardiac arrest, chest compressions give you a fighting chance.”
Find Rapides Regional Medical Center on Facebook to watch a 60 second video and get a FB profile photo to promote National CPR and AED Awareness week.