When a heart stops beating, a stopwatch starts ticking. Each heartbeat pumps vital oxygen-rich blood to every cell in the body, especially the brain. Starved of fresh oxygen, brain cells start to die within three to four minutes. With every passing minute, the victim of sudden cardiac arrest will lose about 10% of their chance to survive. In less than ten minutes, so many brain cells are destroyed that life is no longer possible.
CPR is a simple and easy-to-learn skill that buys extra time. Simply using your hands to rhythmically compress the chest, delivers much-needed oxygen to the brain and vital organs. Quickly attaching an AED (Automated External Defibrillator) to the victim, and continuing CPR, gives the person a real chance to survive and recover. An AED is an electronic device programmed to analyze the person’s heart rhythm and decide if a lifesaving shock is required.
Immediately starting CPR and attaching an AED gives the victim of sudden cardiac arrest more than a 50% chance of life.
Sudden Cardiac Arrest is when the heart suddenly stops beating due to a malfunction in the heart’s electrical system. The victim literally drops dead.
Signs of Sudden Cardiac Arrest include no response to sound or pain and ineffective breathing, such as gasping. In these situations, the victim is clinically (observably) dead. The electrical malfunction continues to produce a deadly heart rhythm.
Prompt action is required. Survival depends on rapid CPR and using an AED to deliver a life-saving shock within a few minutes. So, death is reversible, the conditions are a well-trained population, quick access to an AED, and a rapid paramedic response.
CPR is a simple and easy to learn activity. But, it is physically exhausting. Just two minutes of CPR is a strenuous workout. Considering that a 9-1-1 response could be 15 minutes or more, it is highly unlikely that a single rescuer could continue chest compressions that long.
We train individuals in this frightening and time sensitive situation to work with other people as a CPR Team. By understanding our Team approach, the CPR trained rescuer will be able to show others on the scene how they can help perform CPR.
Learn to assess an unresponsive infant, child, or adult who has stopped breathing, rapidly start CPR and apply an AED. Includes recognizing choking and clearing the airway.
Professional infant, child, and adult CPR and AED for healthcare workers including first responders. Includes use of oxygen, BVM (Bag-Valve-Mask), and may include oral airways for some groups.