Each year, June 1–7 is recognized as National CPR and AED Awareness Week, highlighting the importance of learning CPR and how to use an AED to help save lives. About 70 percent of cardiac arrests outside hospitals happen at home. According to the American Heart Association, each year more than 350,000 people in the U.S experience an EMS-assessed out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, including more than 23,000 children. If you have to administer CPR, it will likely be to someone you love, like a parent, spouse, or child.
Immediate CPR can significantly increase the chance of survival, potentially doubling or tripling it, as about 90% of people who have out-of-hospital cardiac arrests do not survive without it.
Everyone, everywhere can be prepared and empowered to become a vital link in the chain of survival and provide CPR. No matter where your summer plans take you, make sure you’re prepared and confident to save a life if necessary.
Hands-Only CPR is as effective in the first few minutes as conventional CPR for cardiac arrest at home, at work or in public. It has just two steps, performed in this order:
Call 911 immediately.
Push hard and fast in the center of the chest to the beat of a song that has 100 to 120 beats per minute.
Visit http://www.heart.org/handsonlycpr to watch a tutorial and share it with the people who matter most to you.
An automated external defibrillator is a portable device that analyzes the heart’s rhythm and delivers an electrical shock to restore a normal heartbeat for someone in sudden cardiac arrest. Combined with CPR, it can greatly increase a person’s chances of survival following a cardiac event. AEDs are located in many buildings throughout communities, providing vital access in the event one is needed. Once turned on, an AED device delivers audible instructions on how to apply and administer.
Acadian Ambulance is committed to community education and resources on CPR and AED usage to better the outcome for as many residents as possible. Acadian Ambulance’s cardiac arrest resuscitation success rate by its EMS personnel ranks 37% higher than the national average, a measure determined by the Utstein Formula for Survival.
Acadian’s National EMS Academy offers EMT training at its campuses across Louisiana, Texas, and Tennessee. For more information on upcoming classes, visit http://www.BecomeAMedic.com.
Acadian Ambulance is the largest employee-owned ambulance service in the nation, providing transportation and medical services to areas in Louisiana, Texas, Mississippi, and Tennessee. It is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Ambulance Services, and a member of the American Ambulance Association, dedicated to safeguarding the future of mobile healthcare through advocacy, thought leadership, and education. Its sister division, Acadian Air Med, is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Medical Transport Systems.