subject: Why Should I Take A Cpr Certification Class? [print this page] *Content reflects the 2005 Consensus on Science for CPR and Emergency Cardiovascular Care.
Consider this: Over 40 million injury-related visits were made to U.S. hospital emergency departments in 2003. More than 70 million people in the U.S. have cardiovascular disease. Cardiovascular disease causes about 700,000 deaths in the U.S. each year. That accounts for over 33 percent of all deaths annually.
According to the Emergency Cardiovascular Care (ECC) studies, EMS treats nearly 300,000 victims of out of hospital cardiac arrest each year in the U.S. Less than eight percent of people who suffer cardiac arrest outside of the hospital survive. (About 92 percent of sudden cardiac arrest victims die before reaching the hospital.) Statistics show that if more people knew CPR, then Health Care Professionals could save more lives. Immediate CPR can double or even triple a victim's chance of survival.
Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) can happen to anyone at anytime. Many victims appear healthy with no known heart disease or other risk factors. SCA is not the same as heart attack. SCA occurs when electrical impulses in the heart become rapid or chaotic, which causes the heart to suddenly stop beating.
A heart attack occurs when the blood supply to part of the heart muscle is blocked and the muscle begins to die. A heart attack may cause cardiac arrest.
Less than one-third of out of hospital SCA victims receive bystander CPR. Effective bystander CPR, provided immediately after SCA, can double or triple a victim's chance of survival. Bystanders do not want to get involved in emergency situations for a number of reasons. Some people think that they may get in trouble or even sued if they get involved with an injured or dying person. Others think that if they get involved, that they may have to put their mouth on a stranger's mouth during the rescue effort. Also, people are embarrassed to be the one to step forward and start the rescue efforts for an injured or sick person. Unfortunately, the delay in potentially lifesaving aid decreases the victim's chance of survival.
Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) combines effective chest compressions and rescue breaths in an effort to keep the victim's brain and other vital organs alive until help arrives. The most important part of CPR is effective chest compressions! The correct rate of compressions is 100 per minute, while interrupting compressions as little as possible. That means: Dont stop!!
According to Health Care Professionals, once it has been determined that a victim is pulseless, START CPR, starting with chest compressions!!
Make sure that 911 has been called, activating Emergency Medical Services (EMS), then push hard and fast! When compressing an unresponsive victims chest, you are now providing the brain and other vital organs with oxygen rich blood necessary for survival. If compressions stop, so does the delivery of that blood and oxygen and the body starts to die!
