Imagine someone suddenly collapsing right before your eyes, unable to breathe or move. This terrifying situation is called sudden cardiac arrest, and it strikes without warning. Sadly, approximately 95 percent of people who suffer sudden cardiac arrest die before reaching the hospital. That’s because their hearts stop beating, and without quick help, their organs, including the brain, don’t get the oxygen they need to survive.
But there’s a powerful technique called cardiopulmonary resuscitation, or CPR, that can make a crucial difference. CPR involves pressing on the chest and giving breaths to help keep blood flowing and provide oxygen to the body. This simple yet effective procedure can keep someone alive long enough for medical professionals to take over.
In this article, we’ll explain what CPR means, how to do it, and why it’s so important. Knowing CPR can help you save someone’s life in those crucial minutes when their heart stops beating. Let’s learn about CPR and how it can be a life-saving skill.
What is CPR (Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation)?
So, what does CPR stand for? Well, CPR stands for Cardiopulmonary resuscitation. It is a technique used to save lives. It helps keep blood and oxygen moving through the body when someone’s heart and breathing have stopped.
CPR is needed if someone’s heart suddenly stops beating (cardiac arrest). This is different from a heart attack, where blood flow to the heart is blocked but the person is still awake. However, a heart attack can lead to cardiac arrest, so anyone having a heart attack needs to get to a hospital right away.
CPR can greatly improve the chances of survival if done right after cardiac arrest, making it twice or even three times more likely the person will survive. The main goal is to keep the blood flowing until emergency help arrives.
How you do CPR changes depending on whether you’re helping an adult, child, or baby. This we will know later in this article.
Types of CPR
Once you know what cpr stands for, it’s equally important to know its types. So, there are basically two types of CPR that can save lives:
- Hands-only CPR: This involves calling for help and pushing hard and fast on the center of the chest. It helps to keep blood circulating through the body until professional help arrives.
- Traditional CPR with breaths: This method includes chest compressions combined with mouth-to-mouth breaths. It provides more oxygen to the body during a cardiac emergency.
If you don’t have CPR training or haven’t had recent training, use hands-only CPR. It’s also recommended if you’re unsure or uncomfortable with the breaths part of CPR. You can learn hands-only CPR easily, even through online CPR certification courses.
Those who are trained in traditional CPR and feel confident can use this method effectively.
Hands-only CPR is suitable for adults and teens in need, while traditional CPR can be used for adults, teens, children, and infants experiencing cardiac arrest.
If you’re not confident about your CPR skills, think about taking a CPR certification online course. It will make sure you’re ready to assist in case of an emergency.
Chest Compressions
When someone’s heart stops during cardiac arrest, it can’t pump blood. Both hands-only CPR and CPR with breaths involve pushing down on the chest. This action mimics the heart’s pumping to circulate blood to the body’s vital organs.
The compression rate is how fast you should push down on the chest. According to the guidelines, for hands-only CPR, it’s best to do 100 to 120 compressions per minute. After each push down, it’s important to let the chest come back up.
Interestingly, you can use the beat of the song “Stayin’ Alive” to keep the right rhythm for compressions.
How to Perform hands-only CPR
Only perform hands-only CPR on adults or teenagers in cardiac arrest. It’s not safe to do this for children or babies.
Anyone can do hands-only CPR by following these steps, even without training.
- Check the scene and the person: Make sure the scene is safe, tap the person on the shoulder to see if they’re OK, and look for signs of rhythmic, normal breathing.
- Call 911 for assistance: If there’s no response from the victim when asked if he or she is OK, call 911, or ask a bystander to call for help.
- Begin compressions: If the person is unresponsive, perform hands-only CPR1.
- Ensure the person is on their back on a firm, flat surface.
- Kneel beside the person: Your knees should be near the person’s body and spread about shoulder width apart.
- Use correct hand placement: Place the heel of one hand in the center of their chest, with your other hand on top. Interlace your fingers and make sure they are up off the chest.
- Use correct body position: Position your body so that your shoulders are directly over your hands. Lock your elbows to keep your arms straight.
- Give continuous compressions: Push hard and fast (at least 2 inches; 100 to 120 compressions per minute). Allow the chest to return to its normal position after each compression.
Remember, hands-only CPR is CPR without rescue breaths which is simple to learn and easy to remember, especially outside medical settings.
How to Perform mouth-to-mouth Resuscitation
Mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, also known as CPR with breaths, can help adults, teens, children, and babies. Each age group requires a different chest compression technique.
In 2010, the American Heart Association changed its CPR guidelines. They now recommend starting with chest compressions before checking the airway. The old method was ABC (Airway, Breathing, Compressions), but it’s now CAB (Compressions, Airway, Breathing).
In the latest 2020 guidelines, it’s advised to begin CPR immediately if someone might be in cardiac arrest. This is because there is still oxygen in their lungs and blood during the first few minutes after cardiac arrest. Starting chest compressions right away helps get this crucial oxygen to the brain and heart without delay.
For babies under 1 year old and children, both chest compressions and rescue breaths are important. The newest guidelines suggest using a higher rate of rescue breaths — at least 30 per minute for infants and at least 25 per minute for older children.
If you’re trained in CPR and come across someone who is unresponsive or struggling to breathe, follow these steps for CPR, which vary slightly depending on whether it’s for adults, children, or infants.
CPR with breaths: Steps for Infants, Teens, and Adults
Here are the steps for performing CPR with breaths for adults, teens, and infants:
- Check the scene for safety, form an initial impression and use personal protective equipment (PPE).
- If the person appears unresponsive, check for responsiveness, breathing, life-threatening bleeding or other life-threatening conditions using shout-tap-shout.
- If the person does not respond and is not breathing or only gasping, call 9-1-1 and get equipment, or tell someone to do so.
- Kneel beside the person. Place the person on their back on a firm, flat surface.
- Give 30 chest compressions. Hand position: Two hands centered on the chest. Body position: Shoulders directly over hands; elbows locked. Depth: At least 2 inches. Rate: 100 to 120 per minute. Allow the chest to return to normal position after each compression.
- Give 2 breaths. Open the airway to a past-neutral position using the head-tilt/chin-lift technique. Pinch the nose shut, take a normal breath, and make a complete seal over the person’s mouth with your mouth. Ensure each breath lasts about 1 second and makes the chest rise; allow air to exit before giving the next breath.
- Continue giving sets of 30 chest compressions and 2 breaths. Use an AED as soon as one is available! Minimize interruptions to chest compressions to less than 10 seconds.
Importance of CPR
When someone’s heart stops or they stop breathing, they can die within minutes. CPR can save lives and reduce harm while waiting for emergency help to arrive. Here are several reasons why CPR is so crucial:
1. Immediate Response
When someone’s heart stops beating, every minute without CPR reduces their chance of survival by 7-10%.
CPR buys time by keeping blood moving through the body, delivering oxygen to vital organs like the brain. This prevents irreversible damage and increases the likelihood of a successful recovery when medical professionals arrive.
Immediate action with CPR is crucial because it sustains life until more advanced medical treatments, like defibrillation, can be administered to restore normal heart function.
2. Protects from Brain Death
When someone’s heart stops, CPR keeps blood moving throughout the body, including the brain. This helps prevent brain damage by providing oxygen until the heart can be restarted or medical help arrives.
Without oxygen, brain cells can quickly die, leading to irreversible brain damage or even death. CPR buys time by maintaining blood flow, increasing the chances that the person can recover without lasting brain injury.
3. When Faced with a Cardiac Emergency, You’ll Be Prepared to Act
In about 37% of cases, sudden cardiac arrest happens in front of bystanders—potentially you. Learning CPR gives you the know-how and confidence to stay composed during emergencies and aid someone in need.
Certified CPR individuals are equipped to act quickly in any location where cardiac arrest occurs, making a significant impact in their community by being ready to intervene effectively.
Being prepared means you can make a life-saving difference when faced with a cardiac emergency. This ensures you’re ready to step in and provide critical assistance when it matters most.
4. Every Minute Counts in an Emergency
In emergencies, like when someone’s heart stops, “Every Minute Counts” because immediate action can mean the difference between life and death. Healthcare providers stress that each passing minute without intervention reduces survival chances.
Performing CPR promptly keeps blood flowing, delivering oxygen to the brain and vital organs. This buys time until professional help arrives with advanced medical support like defibrillation. Training in CPR allows anyone to act decisively, potentially saving lives.
Remember, even basic knowledge can make a crucial difference in those critical moments before professional healthcare providers take over.
5. Faster Recovery for the Victim
When someone’s heart suddenly stops, CPR helps by keeping blood flowing to their brain and vital organs. This gives them a better chance of surviving and recovering.
CPR can restore breathing and circulation, which are crucial for their body to function. When done quickly and correctly, CPR increases the chances that the person will recover with fewer problems.
It’s like giving them a lifeline until medical help arrives, improving their odds of returning to normal life after such a scary situation.
6. Home Safer for Everyone
“Home Safer for Everyone” means making homes safer for people. Did you know, 70% of heart attacks happen at home? That’s a lot! Sadly, most people don’t survive because help comes too late.
Imagine, it’s like losing a whole city like Seattle every year in American homes. We can change this by learning CPR and having defibrillators at home.
That way, we can help loved ones quickly if something bad happens. Making our homes safer saves lives and keeps families together.
7. Makes School Safer for Kids
Having CPR training in schools makes them safer for kids. Did you know that every day, 20% of people in the U.S. are in school? Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) is the top cause of death at school.
About 1 in 25 high schools in the U.S. can expect an SCA event each year. Even if it hasn’t happened at your school yet, it could. Many states say teachers and students must learn CPR before they graduate high school.
Being ready is important, so learn CPR with a CPR certification course—it helps protect everyone at school and can save lives.
8. CPR Makes Work Safer
Around 10,000 heart emergencies happen at work each year in the U.S. It’s super important for businesses to be safe.
Many companies now teach their employees CPR so they can help if someone suddenly can’t breathe or their heart stops. When workers learn First Aid and CPR, they make the workplace safer and can even save lives.
Companies that train employees in CPR show they care about their health and safety. It’s a smart move that benefits everyone.
9. Supports Defibrillation
CPR prepares the heart for defibrillation, a process where an electrical shock is given to restore a normal heartbeat during cardiac arrest. When someone’s heart stops, CPR helps maintain some blood flow to the heart and brain, which is essential until a defibrillator can be used.
The chest compressions during CPR circulate blood and oxygen, making it more likely that the heart can respond to the shock from the defibrillator.
This sequence—CPR followed by defibrillation—is often the best chance to restart the heart and save a person’s life in cardiac arrest situations.
10. It is a Universal Skill
PR is a skill everyone can learn and use in emergencies worldwide. It’s taught widely and follows similar steps globally, making it accessible and effective in different countries and situations. This universal nature ensures that anyone, regardless of location or background, can potentially save a life by performing CPR.
Knowing CPR allows individuals to act confidently and effectively during emergencies involving cardiac arrest, reinforcing the importance of widespread training in this life-saving technique.
Thus, CPR stands as a critical skill that transcends borders and saves lives wherever it is applied.
How to Get CPR Training
Learning CPR is not just for healthcare professionals, it’s a skill that anyone can acquire to potentially save a life in an emergency. Here’s how you can get trained in CPR and get your CPR certificate:
1. Training Options
CPR training is available through various avenues, including local hospitals, community centers, fire departments, and private organizations like the American Red Cross or the American Heart Association. These entities often offer CPR courses tailored to different needs, such as adult CPR, pediatric CPR, and basic life support (BLS) courses.
2. In-person Courses
Many organizations offer in-person CPR classes where certified instructors guide participants through hands-on practice of CPR techniques. These courses typically include demonstrations, practice on CPR mannequins, and often include AED (Automated External Defibrillator) training.
3. Online Courses
For convenience, online CPR courses are also available. These courses cover the same curriculum as in-person classes and include instructional videos, interactive modules, and quizzes to ensure understanding of CPR techniques.
4. Certification and Recertification
Upon successful completion of a CPR course, participants receive a certification card that is valid for a certain period (usually 2 years). It’s important to do CPR recertification regularly through recertification courses to stay updated on the latest techniques and guidelines.
5. Cost and Accessibility
Costs for CPR training can vary, but many organizations offer affordable or free options, especially through community programs or workplace training initiatives. Some employers even cover the cost of CPR training for their employees as part of workplace safety programs.
Learn CPR Today and Save Lives Tomorrow
CPR is not just about learning skills—it’s a powerful way to save lives during emergencies like sudden cardiac arrest. When you know CPR, you have the ability to be a hero and help someone survive when time is critical. Whether it’s a family member, a stranger, or someone in your neighborhood, your knowledge of CPR could mean the difference between life and death. Remember, acting quickly and confidently when doing CPR can turn a scary situation into a success story. Take the step to learn CPR today and help make your community safer and more prepared for emergencies.
