The American Heart Association (AHA) is celebrating National CPR Awareness Week by informing the public about how hands-only cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) can save the lives of people who are falling victim to the nation’s leading killer, sudden cardiac arrest.
Sudden cardiac arrest kills more than 320,000 Americans every year. Performing hands-only CPR can more than double a sudden cardiac arrest victim’s chance of surviving.
The AHA recommends everyone learn how to perform this life-saving technique. It can sustain a sudden cardiac arrest victim’s life long enough for medical help to arrive.
When a person’s heart is no longer beating, they are at risk of brain injury because their brain is no longer having fresh oxygen circulating into it. Hands-only CPR can help reduce the risk of brain damage while keeping the sudden cardiac arrest victim alive.