- CPR can have a significant impact on those who have suffered cardiac arrest.heart image by Svetlin Rusev from Fotolia.com
CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) is an emergency procedure used in cases of cardiac arrest when a defibrillator or professional emergency responder is not available. Using a combination of mouth-to-mouth breathing and chest compressions, those trained in CPR can have a significant impact on those who have suffered cardiac arrest. For those interested in learning CPR, it's helpful to understand why the procedure should be learned. - Extend a person's chance of survival until emergency medical services arrive. When the heart stops beating or when breathing ceases, a person can survive only four to six minutes before brain damage occurs from oxygen deprivation. CPR distributes oxygenated blood to the brain and organs, doubling the chances of recovery after cardiac arrest.
- Provide immediate emergency care for a family member in your own home to extend their chances of survival. The vast majority of cardiac-related emergencies occur at home. Heart attacks, electric shock, severe allergic reactions, suffocation, choking and drug overdose claim the lives of adults and children.
- Consider statistics as a reason for learning CPR. Contrary to what most people may believe, an estimated 45 percent of all cardiac arrests occur in individuals under the age of 65. A person suffers a life-ending cardiac arrest once every 34 seconds in the United States. Nearly 95 percent of sudden cardiac arrest victims die before reaching the hospital.
- Retrain frequently to ensure continued readiness in case of emergency. Part of learning CPR means retraining because the memory of skills learned commonly deteriorates as early as a few months after initial training. Incorrectly administering CPR can accidentally crack a person's sternum because of improper compression techniques.
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