Every year, more than 380,000 Americans go into sudden cardiac arrest, meaning their heart falters and stops. Nearly 90 percent of the time it happens at home. CPR can help you save someone you love, but the problem is most Americans don't know how to do it.
CPR has changed a lot over the last four years. The American Heart Association now teaches Hands-Only CPR. You don't have to worry about mouth to mouth resuscitation, so it's easier to learn a few basic moves that could save somebody's life.
What would you do if someone you know needs life-saving help? Chattahoochee Tech CPR instructor Robbie Thomas has been there.
"Unfortunately my mother was a victim of sudden cardiac arrest. And we lost her due to the fact that no one knew CPR," said Thomas.
Only about a third of Americans know how to administer CPR. Thomas has made it her mission to change that.
Hope Allen, a newly-minted registered nurse taking an American Heart Association class, says it's easy to master CPR.
"It's very simple to learn. It takes about half hour to learn," said Allen.
So what should you do? First, call 911. If you don't know CPR, the operator will talk you through it. Then, place yourself directly over the victim. With the heel of one hand in the center of the chest, the other hand behind it, press hard and fast, 100 times a minute, until help arrives. Thomas tells her students to time themselves to the song Staying Alive.
For infant CPR, use two fingers, instead of your hands, focusing on quick compressions.
Only about 8 percent of people who suffer sudden cardiac arrest outside of hospital live through it. The Heart Association says if you know CPR, you can double or triple a person's chance of survival.
"A mother, a father, a son or daughter, it will save a life," said Thomas.
A CPR course takes 3 to 4 hours. If you don't have time, the American Heart Association has a 1-minute Hands-Only CPR video to teach you the basics. Click here to view the video. To find a CPR class in your area, click here!
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