Immediate bystander CPR is critical to a victim's survival from a sudden cardiac arrest. Immediate bystander CPR can double, or even triple, a victim’s chance of survival.1 Just as critical is the quality of CPR performed – studies indicate that the quality of CPR delivered during a resuscitation has a significant impact on survival.2
Quality CPR training with performance feedback and an engaging learning environment during instruction can help make your courses more effective, giving students the skills and confidence to act in a cardiac emergency.
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In this article, we discuss:
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We asked five thought leaders to share their insights on community CPR. Read what they had to say about the importance of bystander CPR training.
If you haven’t improved your community, where people are not only having a chance but really are being resuscitated in higher numbers, then there’s no reason to get excited about post-resuscitation care. … The foundation has to be good bystander involvement.
Bystander CPR is arguably the most important link in the chain of survival. Every study that’s ever been published has shown that bystander CPR will increase survival by 2 to 3 fold. … With the advent of hands-only CPR, we have a huge opportunity to train lots of people very quickly—and so we have a real opportunity to change behavior.
It’s the local champions… It’s the citizen who’s taken the time to train and learn, and receive that information and act and act well. That’s what’s making the difference.
The fact that somebody is doing something before we get there gives the patient a better positive chance at a recovery, it gives us something better to work with – it’s a perfused heart, it’s more susceptible to the medicines we give, the procedures that we’re able to perform, and the hope to have that positive outcome.
My passion in life…is to help educate the community, and everyone there, on what to do when something happens — so they don’t stand there feeling helpless. We want them to recognize an arrest, we want them to immediately activate the emergency medical system by calling 911, and then put their hands in the middle of the chest and push hard and fast. ... This is going to maximize the opportunity for survival.