With Christmas fast approaching people are again thinking of a good gift for 
their loved ones. Learn why Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) is the best gift you can give your loved ones and people around you.
Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is an essential lifesaving skill that can be learned by anyone. When used properly, it can help bring a person back to life, literally. Health experts encourage everyone to take first aid training and CPR courses offered by workplace approved and other accredited training providers. This year, give your loved ones the best gift by learning this skill.
When a person suffers from a cardiac arrest, the initial few seconds and minutes are essential in saving the person’s life and in ensuring a good outcome. If there are more people who knows how to provide cardiopulmonary resuscitation, many unnecessary deaths and disabilities could be prevented. It may sound technical but actually CPR is easy to learn and requires not much of your time. Moreover, training courses have a flexible schedule so you can take it when you are free. The time you spend learning this skill is definitely well worth it.
Facts About Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation
- According to the American Heart Association, prompt and effective CPR given soon after cardiac arrest increases the victim’s chances of survival by more than double.
- Bystander CPR can double chances of survival.
- The chances of survival are significantly increased when revival is initiated within the first 4 minutes.
- In about 300,000 victims of sudden cardiac arrest, fewer than 8 percent had survived.
- Sudden cardiac arrest and heart attack are two different medical conditions. Cardiac arrest refers to the sudden stop in the heartbeat while heart attack refers to the blockage of a blood vessel supplying blood to the heart muscles.
- Less than one-third of sudden cardiac arrest cases receive bystander CPR.
- While sudden cardiac arrest is common in adults and older adults, it can also affect teens and younger population.
Some people hesitate about learning cardiopulmonary resuscitation because of the mouth-to-mouth part of the technique. But recent
studies suggest that compression-only CPR may actually be as effective at ensuring adequate blood flow. This means that the rescuer may not give mouth-to-mouth ventilation. Compression-only CPR is a method that can be learned by taking advanced first aid courses. However, for basic learners, the usual procedure of cardiopulmonary resuscitation is
taught. Certified trainers will guide you through the process of learning this lifesaving technique. CPR and first aid courses are usually a one-day training program that includes didactic and hands-on training.
If you are hard pressed looking for a good gift, why not enroll yourself and your loved ones in a first aid training course. Visit your local workplace approved chapter or an accredited training center near you. Check for the most comfortable training schedule.