As National CPR and AED Awareness Week comes to a close, we want to stress the importance of CPR knowledge.
More than 350,000 cardiac arrests happen in the US every year. This is caused by an electrical malfunction in the heart that stops the flow of adequate blood throughout the body. While a majority of heart attacks happen within the home rather than in a public place or under medical supervision, 70% of Americans are helpless in the event of witnessing a cardiac arrest due to limited knowledge of effective CPR practices or the bystander effect. Only about 46% of the 70% who suffer cardiac arrest outside of the hospital survive.
In learning CPR, you will be gaining skills to potentially (and more than likely) save the life of a loved one. Performing CPR can up-to triple the victims chance of survival, and can make the difference between a full recovery and permanent brain damage due to lack of blood and oxygen flow. Apart from CPR, one should also carry an AED prep kit as it contains all the items needed to prepare a patient to receive treatment in case of cardiac arrest.
National CPR and AED Awareness Week is an ideal time to take a class, raise awareness, tell your stories, fine tune your skills, and be ready to provide this life-saving skill in a crisis situation. You can also raise awareness by using a first aid fact sheet. It has facts related to handling emergency situations.
(Source of statistics)
