Stayin' Alive

You know the Bee Gees song Stayin' Alive, right? If so, you're already half way to knowing how to perform CPR! Why? Because the beat of the song is the perfect rate for performing compressions during CPR.

Why is CPR performed? Usually because of a heart related issue. It could be a heart attack, or the electrical impulses are not firing correctly, or the heart just stops due to injury or trauma. The purpose of CPR is to compress the heart and pump the blood through the body. Research has shown that pumping the heart is more important and valuable than rescue breathing. There is enough oxygen in the body to keep it moving to the organs while CPR is being performed.

Let me regale you with some statistics to help encourage you to complete a CPR course:

♥ Less than 1/3 of people who collapse outside of the hospital due to sudden cardiac arrest receive CPR from a bystander.

♥ If someone begins effective CPR immediately, the victims chances of survival can double or triples!

♥ People as young as 9 years old can learn, retain, and perform CPR!

♥ The Good Samaritan law will legally protect you while you are performing reasonable, life saving measures.

♥ CPR can be given with rescue breathing (mouth-to-mouth) or without. Compressions alone save lives, too.

 

The life you save may be that of your friends or family. Better to know how to perform CPR and never need to use it than to need it and not know. One note of caution: CPR is physically exhausting; even with a partner and switching off every 3 minutes or so, it is exhausting. You are encouraged to continue CPR until EMS arrives on scene or until you are about to collapse from exhaustion.

Please consider taking a CPR class. Find a buddy and do it together! The classes are usually inexpensive and just a few hours long. It's a small investment for a potential huge pay off.