Why is Knowing how to Perform CPR so Important?

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation, or CPR, is a life-saving skill that everyone should have as you never know when you may need CPR to save a person’s life.

People die every day from cardiac arrest, drowning, smoke inhalation and other causes as a result of family members, friends and bystanders who do not know how to respond to an emergency situation effectively.

In the time it takes the emergency services to arrive to the scene, the victim’s chance of survival is rapidly decreasing. Often, it is too late which is why bystander CPR is so important. 

Why Take Action: The Facts

Only 22% of people in the UK would be confident in performing CPR on a stranger. This has resulted in a great number of deaths occurring that could have been prevented if bystanders had responded more effectively to the situation.

On average, 35% of people in the UK believe that performing CPR on someone could make the casualty’s condition worse. By providing CPR to a victim of a cardiac arrest, you are effectively taking over the role of their heart and lungs by pumping blood and oxygen around the body.

CPR involves a combination of chest compressions to keep circulation going and rescue breaths that will inflate the lungs. Even if you are untrained in CPR using rescue breathing, you can still help the victim by using hands-only CPR. The risks of CPR outweigh the benefits as the victim will be able to recover from any injuries or bruising occurred as a result of resuscitation. 

Many people think that calling 999 is enough to help the victim. Unfortunately, this is not the case as treatment is needed immediately for the best chance of survival. A study that found the biggest obstacle to bystander CPR is that not enough people know how to do it.

Without the knowledge of CPR, people may be reluctant to act in an emergency due to the fear of making things worse. It was found that 57% of bystanders did not know how to perform CPR and as a result, victims would not receive the immediate treatment needed to restore circulation and maintain blood flow to vital organs.

It takes the emergency services approximately eight minutes to arrive to the scene following an emergency incident. For every minute that goes by where a victim of #SCA does not receive treatment, it is thought that their chance of survival decreases by 10%. Sadly, in most cases, this could be too late to treat a victim of sudden cardiac arrest. Knowing how to perform effective CPR could, however, have the potential to make a life-saving difference.

Bystander CPR boosts survival rates

Effective bystander CPR that is given immediately after a sudden cardiac arrest can double or even triple a victim’s chance of survival, but only 32% of cardiac arrest victims get CPR as a result of bystanders who are unaware of how to help in an emergency situation.

Effective CPR and defibrillation is the only definitive treatment for a victim of sudden cardiac arrest. Given that the victim’s chance of survival falls by approximately 10% for every minute that passes without bystander CPR until defibrillation. It is therefore vital that bystanders perform CPR as soon as possible as their survival depends on those nearby during the time it takes for the emergency services to arrive.

Save A Life

You never know when you might find yourself in a situation where you are required to save a person’s life. CPR is a simple skill that can take just a few short hours to learn. By acquiring this skill in that time, you will be equipped to save a person’s life.

Additionally, being trained in the use of a defibrillator will ensure you are equipped with the necessary skills to save a victim of sudden cardiac arrest. All of our AED courses include CPR training.

If you would like to know more about why CPR is so important or if you require any further information about any of our courses, join the conversation by tweeting us @imptraining.