One should at least execute CPR on an individual who is suffering from cardiac arrest even without training. The reason for this is that the alternative for the victim is likely death. This is the message of Canada’s emergency physicians.
According to the Canadian Association of Emergency Physicians (CAEP), it must become a moral obligation and social expectation for any bystanders to perform CPR if witnessing a cardiac arrest. The CAEP is the national voice in emergency medicine and develops standards and guidelines in this field.
Why perform CPR?
The general population should understand that cardiac resuscitation will be more successful if CPR is started promptly. The victims of cardiac arrest will surely face death if lay witnesses do not act.
The group is asking all Canadians to conduct chest compression on an individual experiencing cardiac arrest with or without mouth-to-mouth ventilation.
The trained rescuers must perform mouth-to-mouth resuscitation after delivering the chest compression, especially with infants, children and newborns.
In Canada, more than 20,000 individuals experience out-of-hospital cardiac arrests yearly in which some form of resuscitation has been attempted. A high percentage of cases occur in homes. Currently, less than 10% of these individuals survive.
Sudden heart failure occurs outside of the hospital in more than 60% of all cases while 50% of these incidents involve bystanders. The out-of-hospital cardiac arrest victims are likely to survive if CPR was started by a bystander, but this kind of assistance only occurs in one of out of every 4 cases.
Importance of first aid training
Around 60% of Canadians undergo CPR training at least once. Sadly, the CPR skills are not often practiced and updated which leads to hesitation and inaction during a cardiac arrest situation.
Once an individual is experiencing a cardiac arrest, it is impossible to cause any more harm than what the outcome will be if nothing is done. An issue of concern is causing damage such as breaking the ribs. If the ribs break, it can mend. Remember that if the heart stops, you only have minutes to respond.
One way to improve the chances of survival is to implement mandatory CPR training and education in high school.
Enrolling in a first aid and CPR course is an advantage to anyone. The training is an invaluable tool that is vital during emergencies.
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LEARN MORE
Learn how to help by enrolling in a first aid training class and for more information, check out these sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cardiopulmonary_resuscitation
https://www.mayoclinic.org/first-aid/first-aid-cpr/basics/art-20056600
https://www.webmd.com/first-aid/cardiopulmonary-resuscitation-cpr-treatment