We have all seen dramatic scenes in television and movies that show someone providing CPR to rescue the victim.  Because of this, you would think that knowing CPR is more common in the United States.  Unfortunately, a shockingly small amount of the public has received training in CPR.  Efforts to educate the public more on how to perform CPR have been somewhat recent, but these efforts will hopefully encourage more people to learn CPR so that we can save more lives.  Here are some things about CPR that you didn’t know:

You Are More Likely to Perform CPR at Home

The likelihood that you will need to perform CPR on a loved one is much higher than that of a stranger.  According to the American Heart Association, 88 percent of cardiac arrests occur at home.  Cardiac arrests can happen to anyone at any age, and the chance of survival is higher if CPR is given immediately.  In fact, a cardiac arrest victim who receives CPR by a bystander before medics arrive is twice as likely to survive a month later.

The Majority of Bystanders Won’t Give CPR

It’s sad, but the fact is that only one-third of bystanders actually perform CPR on victims.  This could be because they are fearful of getting involved or scared that they will perform CPR incorrectly.  Research suggests that a significant number of lives could be saved if more people made the effort to provide CPR.  Even someone who has no training is better than no CPR at all.

The Ability to Perform CPR Is Dependent on Body Strength

You can learn CPR at any age, as long as you have the body strength to perform it.  In fact, studies have shown that children as early as age nine can properly perform CPR.  Researchers are confident that there is a huge benefit to teaching CPR in primary schools, such as knowing basic survival techniques and knowing how to alert medical services.

Every Minute Counts in CPR

Bystanders must act quickly when a victim needs CPR.  When oxygen is suddenly cut off from the brain due to stroke or other serious conditions, every minute counts.  The interruption of blood flow to the brain will cause brain cells to die, which can lead to permanent brain damage within four to six minutes.  In addition, the chances of survival for a cardiac arrest victim decreases by ten percent for every minute that CPR is not provided.  CPR training allows individuals to not hesitate when someone is in need of CPR.

Memory of CPR Skills and Knowledge Tends to Fade Fairly Quickly

Nurses, police officers, firefighters, and other professions require regular CPR training because studies show that we tend to forget CPR knowledge over time.  Not only can taking CPR classes regularly help you remember what to do, but it also gives you the chance to stay up-to-date on the latest CPR techniques and practices.  You can find an online CPR course at SimpleCPR and take it in the comfort of your own home.

Good Samaritan Laws Can Protect Those Performing CPR

Another common reason why bystanders don’t perform CPR on those who need it is because they fear legal repercussions if something goes wrong.  This is unfounded because of Good Samaritan laws that are passed in order to protect those who give CPR.  While states have different specifications of Good Samaritan laws, they will all protect those who offer reasonable assistance to those in need.

CPR Is Useful for Causes Other Than Heart Attacks

Many people think of heart attacks when they think of CPR when, in reality, CPR can be useful for many different situations.  For instance, CPR could help save the life of someone who is choking or suffocating, is experiencing a drug overdose, or for someone who is drowning.  Infants and children are more likely to need CPR for choking and drowning cases, while adults over the age of 65 are more likely to need it for heart conditions.

Bottom Line—CPR Saves Lives

All of these facts reinforce the necessity of proper CPR training.  By raising awareness and increasing the number of people who take CPR courses, we can dramatically raise the number of lives saved each year.  People of all walks of life can benefit from being trained in CPR and it never hurts to be prepared in case of an emergency.

Since it’s summertime, we thought we’d make sure to give you a refresher on water safety and how injury and fatalities can be prevented from vigilance and the correct administration of life-saving CPR. We’ve already addressed how to identify a drowning victim, so we’ll spend this blog talking about something called “secondary drowning.”

Although very uncommon, the condition called “secondary drowning” occurs after a water-related trauma has already happened. For example, if a young child falls into a pool, and is retrieved without much incident, “secondary drowning” can occur later on. Even if the child seems to have recovered just fine without CPR or any help with breathing, he or she may not be entirely out of danger.

“Secondary drowning” can occur when fluid builds up in the lungs after a water trauma. It is a pneumonia-like reaction that can cause asphyxiation if it is not treated.

According to Dr. Alexis Topjian, an attending physician in the pediatric ICU at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, symptoms of “secondary drowning” include:

• Lethargy
• Coughing after the event is over
• The child is not acting like himself
• A change in the color of the lips
• A change in breathing

So, if your child has a close call, be sure to monitor them to make sure they aren’t suffering from any lasting effects of the incident. And, as always, stay up to date on your CPR skills and take CPR classes with SimpleCPR!

A few years ago, Slate posted a very enlightening article about identifying the signs of drowning, and they aren’t what you think. In TV and film, a drowning victim may wave their arms and shout for help, but in reality, the signs are much more subtle.

Drowning is silent. Though you might expect a drowning victim to call out for help, many victims can’t even get their heads above the water to do so. In addition, since the body is working so hard to keep breathing and stay to the surface, it’s also unlikely that a drowning victim would be able to get someone’s attention before passing out.

While many life guards are trained to identify the signs, it’s important for anyone planning to be in or near the water to be able to identify them. Especially in a situation where there are many children and a lot of commotion, it’s very easy to misinterpret a quiet child for one that is actively drowning.

According to Slate, these are signs to look for:

• Head low in the water, mouth at water level
• Head tilted back with mouth open
• Eyes glassy and empty, unable to focus
• Eyes closed
• Hair over forehead or eyes
• Not using legs—vertical
• Hyperventilating or gasping
• Trying to swim in a particular direction but not making headway
• Trying to roll over on the back
• Appear to be climbing an invisible ladder

Drowning is the No. 2 cause of accidental death among children and is entirely preventable. It’s important to know the signs of drowning in order to prevent it, but it’s also important to know the life-saving skill of CPR.

Now that you are one step ahead of the game and can identify a drowning victim, make sure to hone up on your CPR skills, which can drastically increase the chance of living after a child or adult has been submerged in the water.