Teaching the importance of CPR certification is a passion project for us at HeartCert CPR. Carrington College recently shared that Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is a simple procedure that can save someone’s life in an emergency. The concept of using one’s hands and mouth to circulate blood and air in a person with a seized heart has been around since 1740. James Elan and Peter Safar were the first two specialists to demonstrate and write about the concept in depth. Peter Safar released the book entitled ABC of Resuscitation in 1957. Today the practice is widely used by medical professionals, knowledgeable friends, and family members to spare the lives of people who are in cardiac arrest.
A Stunning CPR Statistic: According to the following infographic from Carrington College, only 30 percent of Americans know how to perform CPR. Most instances of cardiac arrest occur within the home, which leaves hundreds of thousands of people vulnerable to fatalities. The average ambulance takes at least 20 minutes to arrive at a person’s home. It could take paramedics an additional two to three minutes to get inside the home and to the patient to administer CPR.
A person who is not receiving oxygen can die within 10 minutes and suffer permanent brain damage within four minutes. Many people may die before they reach the hospital because no CPR attempt occurred. Therefore, learning the practice is something that every adult should take the time to do.
Other Reasons to Learn CPR: Although the most rewarding aspect of learning CPR is its life-saving property, several other benefits exist. A person who takes a course in CPR will have the credentials to qualify for a wealth of jobs inside and outside of the healthcare field. Lifeguards, paramedics, fitness trainers, police officers, firefighters and coaches must have CPR certification to qualify for positions. Therefore, a person who secures CPR training may be ahead of many other people who desire those jobs.
Types of CPR: Several types of CPR exist. Basic CPR is bare minimum training that will provide a person with the tools necessary to save someone in an emergency. Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support is training that provides resuscitation skills and some certifications for healthcare specialists. Pediatric Advanced Life Support is a course that is specially designed for the resuscitation of a young child. The first step a person should take in a cardiovascular emergency is asking the victim if he or she is okay. If the person receives no response, then he or she must call emergency services and begin CPR immediately. To sign up for a CPR class please click here.
