Every three days, more Americans die from sudden cardiac arrest than the
number who died in the 9-11 attacks. You can lessen this recurring loss by learning
Continuous Chest Compression CPR, a hands-only CPR method that doubles a person’s chance
of surviving cardiac arrest. It’s easy and does not require mouth-to-mouth contact, making
it more likely bystanders will try to help, and it was developed here at the University of
Arizona College of Medicine. “This video is worth sharing,” said Gordon A. Ewy, MD,
director of the UA Sarver Heart Center and one of the research pioneers who developed this
method.
Sarver Heart Center’s newest video was developed to make it easy for people to learn
Continuous Chest Compression CPR. Dr. Ewy is hoping the video, which is posted on YouTube, goes
“viral” and gives more people the opportunity to be lifesavers. “Every day people are asked to
forward e-mails to their entire contact lists. This is one e-mail link that can truly make a
difference in people’s lives,” said Karl B. Kern, MD, professor of medicine at the UA
College of Medicine, who chairs the Sarver Heart Center resuscitation group.
So, click on the link and watch the six-minute video; then send it to
everyone in your address book. You may not get gold from a faraway land, or become
thinner, richer, luckier or more popular, but you are likely to make a huge difference;
perhaps saving someone’s life.
Be a Lifesaver with Continuous Chest Compression CPR
If you see someone collapse who isn’t responsive and has trouble breathing:
1. Tell someone to call 911 or make the call yourself.
2. Position the person with the back on the floor. Place the heel of
one hand on the center of the chest (between the nipples) and the heel of the other hand on top
of the first. Lock your elbows, position your shoulders over your hands and use your upper-body
weight to “fall” downward. Lift your hands slightly each time to allow the chest wall to
recoil. Try to compress at 100 beats per minute and about 2 inches deep until emergency help
arrives.
Note: Mouth-to-mouth CPR still is recommended for drowning and very small
children.
The University of Arizona Sarver Heart Center in Tucson, Ariz., emphasizes a highly
interdisciplinary research environment fostering innovative translational, or
“bench-to-bedside,” research. Working toward a future free of cardiovascular disease and
stroke, the center’s more than 150 scientist and physician members collaborate with the goal of
applying new findings from the basic sciences to the clinical arena as quickly as
possible.
Media Contact:
Katie Maass
Original Story Link:
http://opa.ahsc.arizona.edu/newsroom/news/2010/learn-continuous-chest-co...