CPR - Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation

Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) is a combination of breathing and chest compressions that is given to a person thought to be having a cardiac arrest. A cardiac arrest is more commonly termed a heart attack. When a cardiac arrest occurs the person's heart stops pumping blood. By performing CPR you are able to keep the oxygenated blood flowing to the heart and brain to 'buy time' for the victim until his or her normal heart function can be restored.

A heart attack is most often caused by an abnormal heart rhythm or disturbance in the heart rhythm called ventricular fibrillation (VF). If a VF cardiac arrest occurs the person needs CPR and the delivery of a shock to the heart called defibrillation. Defibrillation is an electrical shock to the chest which should eliminate the abnormal heart rhythm and allow the normal heart rhythm to resume. This defibrillation is secondary to giving CPR because it is something usually given by the responding emergency service personnel using special equipment.

What you can do if you see someone in cardiac arrest is call 911 to get trained professionals on their way and to perform CPR. Taking a class is always a wise decision as well so you will be able to practice the technique below on specialty equipped dummies. CPR can be a life saving procedure. Learning it can be easy as A-B-C.

IT CAN BE AS EASY AS A- B- C:

A - AIRWAY

o Place victim flat on his/her back on a hard surface.
o Shake victim at the shoulders and shout "are you okay?"
o If no response, call emergency medical system -911 then,
o Head-tilt/chin-lift - open victims' airway by tilting their head back with one hand while lifting up their chin with your other hand.

B - BREATHING

o Position your cheek close to victims' nose and mouth, look toward victims' chest, and
o Look, listen, and feel for breathing (5-10 seconds).
o If not breathing, pinch victim's nose closed and give 2 full breaths into victim's mouth (use microshield).
o If breaths won't go in, reposition head and try again to give breaths. If still blocked, perform abdominal thrusts (Heimlich maneuver)

C - CIRCULATION

o Check for carotid pulse by feeling for 5-10 seconds at side of victims' neck.
o If there is a pulse but victim is not breathing, give Rescue breathing at rate of 1 breath every 5 seconds Or 12 breaths per minute
o If there is no pulse, begin chest compressions as follows:
o Place heel of one hand on lower part of victim's sternum. With your other hand directly on top of first hand, Depress sternum 1.5 to 2 inches.
o Perform 15 compressions to every 2 breaths. (rate: 80-100 per minute)
o Check for return of pulse every minute.

CONTINUE UNINTERRUPTED UNTIL ADVANCED LIFE SUPPORT IS AVAILABLE.

Though you have called for emergency personnel it is best to be able to perform CPR on a person having a cardiac arrest than to wait. The value of early CPR by bystanders of the incident is better if the responding EMS workers are able to come to the aid of the victim, with their defibrillator, in less than 8 to 12 minutes. After 10 minutes the odds of the victim having brain damage is increased.

According to the American Heart Association (AHA) sudden death from cardiac arrest occurs over 917 times per day in the United States. Studies have repeatedly shown the importance of immediate CPR by a bystander plus defibrillation improves survival rates of VF cardiac arrest victims. AHA notes that in cities such as Seattle, where CPR training is common and EMS response time, for the defibrillation part, is short the survival rate for a VF cardiac arrest is around 30 percent. In cities such as New York City, where few victims receive bystander CPR and EMS response time is longer, survival for VF cardiac arrest only averages 1-2 percent. So as you can tell if a bystander knows and performs CPR and is able to call for EMS the outcome is much better. That is why it is important to learn and know how to perform CPR.

Up to 80 percent of cardiac arrests occur in the home. This statistic shows that you are most likely to have to perform CPR on a family member or known loved one. That should be reason enough to learn it. Also while thinking on these terms it might also be a good idea to make sure all of your insurance policies are up to date. You can make sure that your family will be taken care of just incase. Don't just stop by life insurance though. You might as well make sure all of your policies are up to date and cover everything that you need them to. This includes health, home and auto insurance. Don't forget even the car needs to be taken car of incase a sudden event like a heart attack.

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