Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is an emergency procedure used to save people when they go into cardiac arrest. If CPR isn’t performed immediately, death may occur. Owing to the fact that about 350,000 cardiac arrests happen out of the hospital every year, and nearly seven out of 10 occur at home. Almost half of the people who suffer cardiac arrests at home die as bystanders can’t assist. In this article, we’ll outline five reasons why you need to learn CPR.
- CPR saves lives
Considering that nine in 10 people who suffer cardiac arrests away from the hospital die, it’s essential for everyone to learn how to do CPR. Choosing an American Heart Association (AHA) authorized CPR and Automated external defibrillator (ADE) training center like Newcastle Training will help you acquire skills to recognize and respond to emergencies to save lives.
- CPR is easy to learn
CPR is a basic set of skills that aren’t complicated to learn and perform. All you need to do is place your hand’s heel on the patient’s chest, then interlacing your fingers, place the other hand on top of the first one then press down on the chest then release. If a cardiac arrest case happens near you and you’re untrained, perform hands-only CPR 100-120 times per minute uninterrupted until the medics arrive. If you’re trained and have confidence in your capabilities, complete about 30 chest compressions and give two mouth-mouth resuscitations.
- Mouth-to-mouth resuscitation and hand-only CPR
Most untrained bystanders find it difficult and uncomfortable to perform CTR because of the mouth-mouth contact with strangers. With hands-only CPR, bystanders can resuscitate cardiac arrest victims and save their lives. With the necessary training, bystanders can gain relevant experience and confidence to combine mouth-mouth resuscitation with hands-only CPR.
- Prevent brain death
When a cardiac arrest happens, it’s important to start CPR within two minutes because, after three minutes, the lack of blood flow to the brain can lead to brain damage. By the sixth minute, severe and irreversible brain damage may occur, and the chances of survival are low. When people are resuscitated, eight out of every ten people will go into a coma while others get brain damage. Note that the longer the brain doesn’t receive oxygen, the greater the damage. Additionally, timely CPR keeps blood flowing and supplies oxygen to the brain, increasing the chances of full recovery.
- Bystander CPR improves survival
Most out-of-hospital cardiac arrests happen at home, in public areas, and in nursing homes. Bystander CPR helps double/ triple the chances of survival and also protects the brain from damage. Since the level of awareness and preparedness among most people is low, more people should familiarize themselves with CPR and probably attend training. Consider learning CPR, then empower those around you to increase CPR awareness.
- Anyone can suffer from cardiac arrest
Cardiac arrest can affect anyone at any time and anywhere. People of different ages, old and young alike, can suffer from cardiac arrest. That’s why it’s advisable to always be prepared in case of anything.
Endnote
Cardiopulmonary resuscitation is a first-aid technique that can save many lives. Equipping yourself with CPR skills can enable you to help save the lives of others.
