Are You Up-to-Date on CPR?

CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) saves lives. There is no question about that. But if you were certified prior to 2005, you'll want to brush up on your knowledge as the guidelines for the lay rescuer have changed.

Why CPR is important

  • About 75 percent to 80 percent of all out-of-hospital cardiac arrests happen at home, so being trained to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) can mean the difference between life and death for a loved one.
  • Effective bystander CPR, provided immediately after cardiac arrest, can double a victim’s chance of survival.
  • CPR helps maintain vital blood flow to the heart and brain and increases the amount of time that an electric shock from a defibrillator can be effective.
  • Approximately 95 percent of sudden cardiac arrest victims die before reaching the hospital.
  • Death from sudden cardiac arrest is not inevitable. If more people knew CPR, more lives could be saved.
  • Brain death starts to occur four to six minutes after someone experiences cardiac arrest if no CPR and defibrillation occurs during that time.
  • If bystander CPR is not provided, a sudden cardiac arrest victim’s chances of survival fall 7 percent to 10 percent for every minute of delay until defibrillation. Few attempts at resuscitation are successful if CPR and defibrillation are not provided within minutes of collapse.
  • Coronary heart disease accounts for about 450,000 of the 871,517 adults who die as a result of cardiovascular disease.
  • Approximately 325,000 of all annual adult coronary heart disease deaths in the U.S. are due to sudden cardiac arrest, suffered outside the hospital setting and in hospital emergency departments. About 900 Americans die every day due to sudden cardiac arrest.
  • Sudden cardiac arrest is most often caused by an abnormal heart rhythm called ventricular fibrillation (VF). Cardiac arrest can also occur after the onset of a heart attack or as a result of electrocution or near-drowning.
  • When sudden cardiac arrest occurs, the victim collapses, becomes unresponsive to gentle shaking, stops normal breathing and after two rescue breaths, still isn’t breathing normally, coughing or moving.

Changes in Guidelines Include:

  • Do not try to open the airway using a jaw thrust for injured victims--use the head tilt-chin lift for all victims.
  • Take 5 to 10 seconds (no more than 10 seconds) to check for normal breathing in an unresponsive adult or for presence or absence of breathing in the unresponsive infant or child.
  • Take a normal (not a deep) breath before giving a rescue breath to a victim.
  • Give each breath over 1 second. Each breath should make the chest rise.
  • Use the same 30-compressions-to-2-breaths ratio for all victims.

For complete guidelines or classes near you, click here.

Above content provided by The American Heart Association in partnership with Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. For advice about your medical care, consult your doctor.

Posted January 2009

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