You’re at the market. The mall. A concert. Someone drops in front of you. Could you save a life?
Most people who witness a cardiac arrest either don’t know CPR or are afraid to do it. Instead they call 911, and then they wait.
Cardiac arrest – an electrical malfunction in the heart that causes an irregular heartbeat (arrhythmia) and
loss of blood to the brain, lungs and other organs – is a leading cause of death. Each year, more than 350,000 EMS-assessed out-of-hospital cardiac arrests occur in the United States.
According to the American Heart Association, about 90% of people who suffer out-of-hospital cardiac arrests die.
Medical help gets there as fast as they can, but it still takes an average of four to 10 minutes for them to reach someone in cardiac arrest.
The problem is, when someone’s heart stops, death occurs within 10 minutes. That means receiving CPR from a bystander is a person’s only chance to survive until medical help arrives.
“If you are called on to give CPR in an emergency, you will most likely be trying to save the life of someone you love – a spouse, a parent, or a friend, Any CPR is better than no CPR. Take the time to learn to save a life. It’s easy – anyone can do it. There’s no worse feeling than not knowing what to do,” says Glen Kovacs, an instructor with the American Heart Association-affliliated Child and Parent Resources CPR.
“CPR, especially if performed immediately, can double or triple a cardiac arrest victim’s chance of survival.”
The Los Angeles County Fire Department has partnered with the County’s Emergency Medical Services Agency, Department of Public Health, the Los Angeles Fire Department, local hospitals and the American Heart Association to train residents in hands-only CPR.
A “Sidewalk CPR” event will teach hands-only CPR across the city on Tuesday, June 4. Locally
Sidewalk CPR” will be taught by West Hills Hospital at The Village on Monday from 11 am to 2 pm.
Valley Presbyterian will teach CPR on Monday at 10 am at 15107 Vanowen.
No longer do you need to learn mouth-to-mouth resuscitation to save a life. Learn the hands-only method to be prepared:
• Check for responsiveness – shake and shout.
•Call 911 or tell someone to call 9ll.
•Place victim on their back then your hands on top of each other in the center of their chest.
•Push hard and fast straight down (at least two inches and 100 times per minute – to the beat of “Staying Alive.”
• Continue pushing hard and hard until help arrives.
For more information visit fire.lacounty.gov/sidewalk-cpr/.
