# 5602
I lost count of how many times I’ve done CPR decades ago. Since I did nearly all of my paramedic work in three infamous cardiac cities (St. Petersburg, Phoenix, Bradenton) working codes (cardiac arrests) was pretty much a daily experience.
Even with our defibrillators, cardiac meds, and telemetry most of these attempts to resuscitate failed.
It was simply a matter of timing.
Once the heart stops, the patient has maybe 4 to 6 minutes before irreparable damage occurs. Only rarely does an ambulance or rescue squad arrive within that window of opportunity.
There were some happy endings, of course. Not as many as I’d have liked, but sometimes we got lucky.
And a lot of those `saves’ could be credited to quick acting bystanders who began CPR before we arrived.
The American Heart Association reminds us that this is CPR WEEK, and that everyone should learn how to do Hands-Only CPR.
- Sudden cardiac arrest is a leading cause of death in the U.S.
- Everyone should know how to perform CPR in an emergency.
- Immediate, effective CPR could more than double a victim's chance of survival.
- Push on the chest at a rate of at least 100 beats per minute.
- Push to the beat of "Stayin' Alive" and you could save a life.
- Click here for more information on Hands-Only CPR.
Today, CPR is easier to do than ever.
Compression-only CPR is now the standard for laypeople, and so you don’t have to worry about doing mouth-to-mouth.
While it won’t take the place of an actual class, you can watch how it is done on in this brief instructional video from the American Heart Association.
A class only takes a few hours, and it could end up helping you save the life of someone you love.
To find a local CPR course contact your local chapter of the American Red Cross, the American Heart Association, or (usually) your local fire department or EMS can steer you to a class.
For more on the recent changes to bystander CPR, you may wish to visit these recent blogs.
CPR As A Requirement For High School Graduation
