CPR and WHY you should know it!

Why should everyone in your workplace should know CPR? Simply stated because it saves lives. It could be a life of a loved one or a life of a guest or friend. The American Heart Association and other companies have made it easy for you to not only learn CPR but also has made CPR easier to administer.

Why should you know CPR? Because of the following reasons:

• Sudden Cardiac Arrest is the #1 cause of deaths in America
• Immediate, effective CPR could more than double a victim's chance of survival
• Knowing and performing CPR can more than double survival for a SCA victim

The Hands-Only CPR is the new way to save lives and even has a "catchy tune" to go along with it.
If you happen to witness someone collapse there are two steps:

• Call 911
• Push hard and fast in the center of the chest to the beat of the disco song from the 80's "Stayin' Alive."

Push on the chest at a rate of at least 100 beats per minute.
 

Push to the beat of "Stayin' Alive" and you could save a life.

- See more at: http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/CPRAndECC/CommunityTraining/CommunityPrograms/CPR-Week_UCM_427219_SubHomePage.jsp#sthash.pVVrj3nM.dpuf

Immediate, effective CPR could more than double a victim's chance of surviva - See more at: http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/CPRAndECC/CommunityTraining/CommunityPrograms/CPR-Week_UCM_427219_SubHomePage.jsp#sthash.pVVrj3nM.dpuf

• Sudden cardiac arrest is a leading cause of death in the U.S.
   
• Everyone should know how to perform CPR in an emergency.
   
• Immediate, effective CPR could more than double a victim's chance of survival.
   
• Push on the chest at a rate of at least 100 beats per minute.
   
• Push to the beat of "Stayin' Alive" and you could save a life.

• For more information on Hands-Only CPR.

- See more at: http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/CPRAndECC/CommunityTraining/CommunityPrograms/CPR-Week_UCM_427219_SubHomePage.jsp#sthash.pVVrj3nM.dpuf

• Sudden cardiac arrest is a leading cause of death in the U.S.
   
• Everyone should know how to perform CPR in an emergency.
   
• Immediate, effective CPR could more than double a victim's chance of survival.
   
• Push on the chest at a rate of at least 100 beats per minute.
   
• Push to the beat of "Stayin' Alive" and you could save a life.

• For more information on Hands-Only CPR.

- See more at: http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/CPRAndECC/CommunityTraining/CommunityPrograms/CPR-Week_UCM_427219_SubHomePage.jsp#sthash.pVVrj3nM.dpuf

• Sudden cardiac arrest is a leading cause of death in the U.S.
   
• Everyone should know how to perform CPR in an emergency.
   
• Immediate, effective CPR could more than double a victim's chance of survival.
   
• Push on the chest at a rate of at least 100 beats per minute.
   
• Push to the beat of "Stayin' Alive" and you could save a life.

• For more information on Hands-Only CPR.

- See more at: http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/CPRAndECC/CommunityTraining/CommunityPrograms/CPR-Week_UCM_427219_SubHomePage.jsp#sthash.pVVrj3nM.dpuf

Back to School - Is your school prepared for SCA?

Is your school prepared if Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) strikes a student, staff member or visitor?

Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) is one of the leading causes of death in North America killing 300,000 people each year in the U.S. alone. While SCA is more prevalent in adults, children are also victims of SCA. Even schools for young children have many adults present every day and schools serve as central gathering point within the community.

A recent study of first responders and physicians staffing school sporting events identified 21 episodes of Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) in athletes of all ages. There are a significant number of young athletes, just like Zachary Schrah who have an undetected, or possibly an underlying heart disease that predisposes them to SCA.


Schools with Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) have better cardiac survival rates, and the good news is a SCA is survivable. This important fact is true for both students and non-students who may experience sudden cardiac arrest at a school event.



Implementing an SCA program at your school isn’t hard, but it will take some work. The Sudden Cardiac Arrest Foundation has some great information about some successful school programs, check out Building a Heart-Safe School, you will find some very helpful information. You’ll also find helpful ideas and checklists throughout this website. We have the power and the moral responsibility – to protect the lives of our students, our faculty members, our staff and our visitors. With simple preparation, we can save a life at school.

Why wait for a tragedy? Implement an SCA program at your school now. You may just save a life—and better yet, by teaching students lifesaving skills, you’ll help build a generation of citizens who are ready, willing and able to help whenever SCA strikes. At Living 4 Zachary we want to work together to eliminate preventable deaths from SCA, which continue to occur all too often.

Heidi Stewart and her SCA Survival Story

Around this time of the year, many students are preparing for graduation. Students are taking their senior photos at special locations in their cities, compiling lists for graduation invites and crossing their fingers to finish finals and get on with the rest of their life… it’s a typical graduation story.

Heidi Stewart’s story is anything but typical.

On February 12, Stewart was helping students hang pink paper hearts around school hallways for Valentine’s Day. As she was walking down the hall to the school office, she began to grow weary and feel herself passing out.

The school nurse was called and rushed to the collapsed Stewart with an automated external defibrillator (AED) as emergency services were called. While the Associate Principal and Dean of Students began prepping for the AED by performing chest compressions, Heidi’s parents were called—the devastating call that no parent ever wants to receive.

For eight minutes, Heidi was clinically dead. Her youthful body was shutting down as she began gasping for another breath of fresh air while blood was coming from her mouth.

After continued CPR and shocks from the automated external defibrillator (AED), Heidi was revived and brought back to life, although she couldn’t immediately see her rescuers. Her vision later returned.

HeidiStewart’s story is one of many like her, a healthy young adult, actively involved with little health complications. Sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) can strike any, and is increasingly attacking young adults and athletes.

Had it not been for the donated automated external defibrillator (AED), Heidi might not have been able to enjoy the celebration of four years of high school.

Be alert and aware and have your family and encourage your friends to have their heart screened for potentially fatal heart disease and complications.

Another reason for an AED

An inspirational story from Allegheny County in Pennsylvania where the quick actions of a neighbor and emergency services saved the life of Roland “Mike” Dulaney when he fell victim to sudden cardiac arrest (SCA).

A neighbor had just finished Christmas dinner with his family when he received a call regarding the collapse of a 62-year-old man nearby. He alerted medical professionals, asking them to bring an automated defibrillator (AED) to the scene, and then rushed over to his neighbors house where he found the man unconscious on the dining room floor.

The neighbor performed CPR while rescuers from emergency services stepped in with the AED. They followed him, while providing advanced life support, to a nearby hospital.

Rates jump from a survival rate of 10 percent to 40 percent with an AED is used before medical services arrives so the neighbors actions were critical in the survivial of Roland Dulaney.

“It was a humbling experience,” said the neighbor.  It was a Christmas miracle.

For more information on how your youth organization can get an AED - visit the Living for Zachary AED Donation page and apply for a lifesaving AED today. 

Avatars teach CPR to assist in SCA Survival

In our world where everything is controlled by technology - what a great idea to mesh technology plus CPR training. We know that most kids learn from technology these days with cell phones, apps for cell phones and video games.

High school students are thrilled about learning CPR by using video gaming technology. According to the Journal of Medical Internet Research students are dealing with avatars that are controlled by CPR instructors in different scenario's. During these 90-120 minute training students learn protocol of paramedics, how to gather information and how to perform CPR effectively.

Students appear to be more confident in their abilities to perform CPR in an effective way and their attention level was higher and grabbed their attention better than classroom training.


According to University of Georgia's Director of Sports Medicine Ron Courson "Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States," Courson said. "Emergency medical services treat approximately 300,000 victims of out-of-hospital sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) every year. About 92% of SCA victims die before reaching the hospital, but statistics prove that if more people knew CPR, more lives could be saved. Immediate CPR can double, or even triple, a victim's chance of survival. With SCA, every minute counts. For each minute delay in the use of an automated external defibrillator, the chance of survival from sudden cardiac arrest decreases 10%. Emergency preparedness is the key to survival with SCA."

However you choose to learn CPR - Learn it. You can contact the American Heart Association for more information.