Author Archives: Stephen Huffman

Longer CPR Times Doubles Survival Rate

Leave a reply

ist2_2989270-3d-clock-ticking-fast-ntsc1

6-7%. That’s the national average rate of survival for victims of cardiac arrest who receive CPR. When Wake County EMS responds to cardiac arrest calls, the victims chance of survival more than doubles.

The insider information is simple; research shows that when CPR is provided in excess of 25 minutes, survival rates drastically increase.

The Wake County EMS district chief, Hammerstein, explains,”We were still seeing signs in the patient that had a shot of survival. We chased those signs and found that in fact we were getting responses from people much past the 20 to 25 minutes time zone.”

Once they realized they were on to something, they followed their hunches. Working with SAS Analytics Lab they collected the data and found they were right.

“You can, in fact, resuscitate people and save lives past that 20 to 25 minute time zone and equally important, if we do resuscitate that person, they are just as likely to have a good neurological outcome at those longer times than if it were just in those first few minutes,” Hammerstein said.

The findings are to be published soon.

Be a hero. Learn CPR!

The Angel of CPR

Leave a reply

A doctor from India lost his adult son several months ago. The son experienced cardiac arrest and nobody knew enough about CPR to step in and help.

A very high percentage—above 90%— of sudden cardiac arrest victims die prior to arriving at the hospital. According the American Heart Association, providing immediate CPR can improve the victim’s odds of survival greatly.

Since the loss of his son, the retired government doctor has become a self-appointed CPR ambassador traveling around India teaching people the difference between cardiac arrest and a heart attack.

Cardiac arrest is when the heart stops working, which is why the chest compressions are vital. It keeps the heart pumping blood to the brain.

The doctor explains to those he teaches that CPR must be provided in what he calls the “golden hour” —in the seconds immediately following the arrest and prior to even arriving at the hospital.

His younger son, also a doctor, participates in the program by teaching CPR.

Be a hero! Learn CPR.

NCAA Amends CPR Rules

Leave a reply

Style Snapshot

  • The NCAA has updated its rules to require that a CPR-certified staff member must be present during physical countable athletic activities on campus. While it is not mandatory for coaches to be certified, it is encouraged to ensure safety during emergencies. This change empowers coaches to respond effectively in catastrophic situations.

NCAASports

Surprisingly, college sports coaches have not been required to be CPR certified. However, the NCAA is making changes to their rules, following a wave of state and district efforts such as the one that got 40,000 Orange County, Florida students CPR training.

NCAA has amended rules to ensure that any time a school has a “physical countable athletic activity on campus,” a staff member has completed CPR certification for students & schools. This does not mean that the coaches must be certified, but it’s encouraged.

“Several sports don’t have a trainer at every practice, so this empowers the coaches in catastrophic situations,” said Fred Hoiberg, men’s basketball coach at Iowa State. Fred is CPR certified.

Let your voice be heard; contact your university president and ask about CPR requirements for staff and faculty, much like the new law that now requires CPR training in Illinois high schools or the law in Pennsylvania, where lawmakers recently passed a law requiring students to learn CPR.

Be a Hero! Learn CPR with SimpleCPR online certification.