Can You Save A Life? 5 Reasons To Learn CPR Right Now
CPR, or cardiopulmonary resuscitation, is the act of using chest compressions and sometimes artificial ventilation to manually preserve brain function in a person who’s suffering from cardiac arrest.
Every minute counts when someone is suffering from cardiac arrest. Without oxygenated blood reaching their brain and other organs, permanent damage or death can occur within minutes.
Here are 5 important reasons why you should consider learning CPR:
1.Anyone can learn
CPR isn’t very hard to learn, and classes are available just about everywhere.
The American Heart Association says that 70% of Americans feel helpless to act in a cardiac emergency. They’re unable to administer CPR either because they have never learned, or because their training has lapsed.
2. You can save a life
After a heart stops beating it only takes about 5 minutes for brain death to occur. That’s often not long enough for trained medical professionals to arrive, but reports indicate that the chances of survival double to quadruple if CPR is administered within 2 minutes of cardiac arrest.
3. The knowledge can help in the real world
CPR isn’t just for doctors, according to the American Heart Association, more than 350,000 cardiac arrests occurred outside of hospitals just in 2016 alone. Unfortunately, most cardiac arrests that happen outside of a hospital result in death — but quickly and properly administering CPR can improve those chances dramatically.
4. Cardiac arrest can affect anyone
The person you save could be a loved one. If someone you care about suffers from a cardiac arrest, the very last thing you want to be is a helpless bystander. Learning CPR takes a little bit of time, but it can make all the difference in the world.
5. You can join the 3%
Though CPR is easy and can even be fun to learn, each year less than 3% of people in the USA receive training.
Having emergency training of this sort isn’t just a good way to become a hero, it can help you stand out from a crowd — and it even looks good on a resume!
If you’re interested in learning CPR the first step is to check your local training center for courses. Most training centers also offer other life-saving courses such as basic life support, pediatric advanced life support, and first aid certification.
When an emergency happens, don’t be helpless. Be a hero!
