National CPR Awareness Week

Why is CPR important?  Cardiac arrests are more common than you think, and they can happen to anyone at anytime.  The facts outline the need to know CPR basics:

·         Nearly 300,000 out-of-hospital sudden cardiac arrests occur annually, and 80 percent of cardiac arrests occur at home.

·         Many victims appear healthy with no known heart disease or other risk factors.

·         Sudden cardiac arrest is not the same as a heart attack.

-          Sudden cardiac arrest occurs when electrical impulses in the heart become rapid or chaotic, which causes the heart to suddenly stop beating.

-          A heart attack occurs when the blood supply to part of the heart muscle is blocked.  A heart attack may cause cardiac arrest may cause cardiac arrest.

The American Heart Association is urging people to take 60 seconds to watch a Hands-Only CPR instructional video so they are equipped to act in a cardiac emergency.  The video, which can be viewed at www.heart.org/cpr, teaches the simple steps to help an adult who is in cardiac arrest.  Hands-Only CPR involves two simple steps:  1. Call 9-1-1 and 2. Push hard and fast on the center of the chest until professional help arrives.  Hands-Only CPR is recommended for adults who suffer a cardiac arrest at home, at work or in another public location.  For more information about CPR Week or Hands-Only CPR, visit www.heart.org/cpr.