JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – More than 350,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests occur in the United States each year.
The week of June 1-7 has been designated to raise awareness and increase the number of people who perform CPR in cardiac arrest emergencies.
When a person has a cardiac arrest, survival depends on receiving CPR immediately. CPR, especially if performed immediately, can triple a cardiac arrest victim’s chance of survival. Only about 46 percent of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest victims receive CPR from a bystander.
The American Heart Association says about 90 percent of people who suffer out-of-hospital cardiac arrest die.
“Don’t be afraid to perform CPR for fear of unintentionally causing injury,” said Greta Hall, St. Johns County Fire and Rescue-AED/AHA Program Coordinator. “It is much to better to act than to do nothing at all.” Hall goes on to state that anyone can perform hands-only CPR.
Hands-only CPR has just two easy steps, performed in this order:
(1) Call 911 if you see a teen or adult suddenly collapse; and
(2) Push hard and fast in the center of the chest until professional help arrives.
To learn how you can help, visit: http://www.heart.org/HandsOnlyCPR