Why You Should Learn CPR
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My husband and I recently took a CPR class at a local school. It was a training course taught by our local American Heart Association branch. It's something that we've been wanting to do a long time, and since we're getting older and our parents are close to their 80's we thought it would be a very smart idea.
We also heard these facts from the American Heart Association about cardiac arrest; it is estimated that 310,000 Americans die each year due to sudden cardiac arrest. It's estimated that 3/4 of those who suffer a cardiac arrest do so in their own home. I couldn't imagine watching my husband die and now knowing what to do, especially when adult hands-on CPR is so simple.
Hands-only CPR is the new technique recommended by the American Heart Association. They actually believe that hands-only CPR can save many more lives over the combination of breathing and compressions. One of the reasons is that having to give breaths is unsettling to some people. They don't want to have mouth-to-mouth contact with a stranger, and they're afraid that they'll do it incorrectly and do harm.
The hands-only technique has been studied in the emergency medical community for quite some time. They saw how some cardiac arrest suffers actually woke up during chest compressions and then lost consciousness again when breaths were given.
One important thing to note with the new hands-only CPR is that it is for adults on. It is not to be used on children or infants. And, it's not to be used on drowning victims or those who have suffered a drug overdose. In those two instances breaths are still required. You see, those who suffer a cardiac arrest still have oxygen in their blood, which is circulated with the chest compressions. Drowning victims on the other hand have used the oxygen in their blood up. So, again, adult drowning victims and adult drug overdose victims still get a combination of mouth-to-mouth resuscitation and chest compressions.
The chest compressions done using hands-only CPR is the same as has always been taught, so, if you're familiar with it all the better! Remember to use the heel of your hand, placed in the center of the victims chest between their nipples. Place your other hand on top and interlace your fingers. Medical personnel say you need to push "fast and hard". They say you should strive for 100 compressions per minute and compress the chest fully 2 inches.
My husband and I learned not only hands-only CPR in our instruction class, we learned infant and child CPR. We received certification from the American Heart Association. It's very easy to learn the steps on performing CPR. You can even find online CPR certificate courses from the American Red Cross. So, now you don't have any excuse for not knowing life saving CPR.
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