Author Archives: Stephen Huffman

Hip-Hop CPR

CPR is going HIP-HOP, hitting the mash-up fans of DJ Earworm.

Earworm agreed to team up with The AHA to promote CPR to his fans because of a horrible situation that left him feeling helpless.

“I had to administer CPR and it didn’t turn out so well.The thing that I remember very distinctly was that moment of panic of ‘What am I supposed to do?’The fact the American Heart Association has now made the message so much clearer and easier to learn and remember takes away that whole hesitation factor,”said Earworm.

DJ Earworm is known for his hip mash-ups, and as part of the National CPR Awareness week, he plans to create “Hands-Only CPR Mash-Up,” with a mix of tunes that includes favs like Salt-N-Pepa’s “Push It.”

Earworm agreed to be involved to raise social awareness through music. He calls it ‘Healthy Hollywood.

About 420,000 people die outside of the hospital every year. Be a hero. Learn Hands-Only CPR.

Sudden Cardiac Arrest and CPR

Many people equate Sudden Cardiac Arrest with a heart attack, but that is simply not the case. While a heart attack is caused by a a blockage in a vessel that supplies blood to the heart, Sudden Cardiac Arrest occurs when the heart’s electrical system malfunctions and the heart stops beating.

Both of these conditions can be treated immediately with CPR, but the fatality rate of Sudden Cardiac Arrest is much higher. Since 80% of Sudden Cardiac Arrest cases occur at home, the survival rate is only 8%. In many cases, lives could have been saved as a result of CPR or having access to an AED.

Especially in an out of hospital scenario, it is imperative that someone suffering from Sudden Cardiac Arrest receive CPR and have access to an AED. An AED is a portable device that assesses the heart’s rhythm and shocks it if necessary. These devices are extremely effective and do not harm a patient who may not suffer from Sudden Cardiac Arrest because it will only work if the heart has stopped.

Sudden Cardiac Arrest is a scary reality because it can affect otherwise healthy individuals and doesn’t have any warning signs. The best thing to do if you think someone is suffering from Sudden Cardiac Arrest is to administer CPR and call emergency services.

Teen Hero Saves Grandpa with CPR

When 15-year-old high school student Shelby witnessed her grandfather (78) suffer a heart attack, she wasn’t about to let him become a statistic. About 9 out of 10 people who suffer cardiac arrest will die, but Shelby had learned CPR just days before her grandfather toppled over backwards and quit breathing.

Shelby told her grandmother to call 911, and the rest is a blur. The 911 operator talked Shelby through the process, and for what seemed like an hour until paramedics arrived, Shelby delivered chest compressions.

ER doctor and medical director for Fire Distric 4, Dr. Joel Edminster said, “This is a perfect example of sudden cardiac arrest that would have resulted in a fatality or severe neurological dysfunction” had Shelby not acted as quickly as she did and performed CPR.

Shelby was the first teen community save.

“I kind of went into hysteria, panic,” said Shelby’s grandmother, “and she just kept her cool. She said she was really churning on the inside, but you would have never known it.”