Make Time to Hone Lifesaving CPR Skills

Monday, December 04, 2006

ROCHESTER, Minn. — Watch any medical show on TV and you're sure to see someone performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). It makes for dramatic TV, and it's dramatic in real life, too.

According to the December issue of Mayo Clinic Women's HealthSource, immediate CPR may more than double the person's chance of surviving a heart attack.

CPR is used in emergency situations in which breathing or heartbeat has stopped. The technique combines mouth-to-mouth breathing with chest compressions.

Quickly restoring blood flow is important, because when the heart stops and blood flow is interrupted, irreparable brain damage can occur in just a few minutes. Death can occur in eight to 10 minutes.

CPR isn't new — it was introduced in the 1950s — but guidelines have been revised in recent years to keep up with new science. The most recent revisions were in 2005, and as a result, American Heart Association guidelines now call for people performing CPR to give 30 chest compressions (instead of 15) for every two breaths to help maintain blood flow with fewer interruptions.

To refresh your skills or learn how to perform CPR, it's recommended that you take an accredited first aid training course through the American Red Cross, a local hospital or community center.

Too busy to go to class? The American Heart Association now offers an at-home training kit designed to teach the basics of CPR in about 22 minutes. It costs less than $30 and includes an inflatable CPR manikin and an instructional DVD.

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