Hands Only CPR

Did you know that early Hands Only CPR in cardiac arrest can SAVE LIVES?

Here are some interesting statistics:

1. Cardiac arrest- an electrical malfunction in the heart that causes an irregular heartbeat (arrhythmia) and disrupts the flow of blood to the brain, lung and other organs- is the leading cause of death. Each year, more than 350,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests occur in the US and Canada.
2. 90-95% of sudden cardiac arrest victims die before reaching a hospital. But, immediate CPR can double a victims chance of survival.
3. When someone needs CPR, ANY CPR IS BETTER THAN NO CPR, without it a victim’s chances of survival fall 7-10% every minute that they go without CPR and defibrillation.
4. Oxygen rich blood must reach the body’s vital organs within 5 minutes or these organs will start to fail.
5. The chest compressions of CPR can keep the blood moving. During CPR, you should push on the check at a rate of 100-120 times a minute. Using the Bee Gees song “Staying Alive” is a great way to keep the beat and deliver that may chest compressions.
6. If you are called on to give CPR, you will likely be trying to save the life of someone you love as 70% of out-of-hospital arrest happen in homes.
7. Unfortunately, less than 50% of people who have cardiac arrest get that immediate CPR before EMS arrives.
8. Over 100,000 people each year in Northern America are saved by CPR.

We encourage all people to get educated on how to do Hands Only CPR. You never know when the information that you have will save a life. For more information go to www.heart.org/handsonlyCPR

For information on recognizing the signs and symptoms of a heart attack please visit: https://dha.acc.org/ehac-training-your-community.html