First aid and CPR are skills learned over the course of a few hours that can save the lives of many people. Classes in each are taught around the country by trained instructors from the American Heart Association, the American Red Cross and the American Safety & Health Institute.
Significance
Most injuries occur at home, on a playground, in the workplace, and away from immediate medical help. Most victims of sudden cardiac arrest are at home when their hearts stop. In both cases, the people immediately near the victim become a key link in what the American Heart Association calls the "chain of survival." Having the skills to do something until trained emergency medical services personnel show up is critical. Indeed, according to the Mayo Clinic, it is "far better to do something than to do nothing at all."
Facts
The American Red Cross says that about 166,000 people in the United States die of sudden cardiac arrest each year. The American Heart Association estimates that at least 350,000 people suffer a heart attack each year, and that 94 percent of those will die before getting to a hospital. CPR done by those nearby can help improve those rates. The term first aid covers a wide swath of potential interventions in an immediate medical emergency. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) labels first aid as "medical attention that is usually administered immediately after the injury occurs and at the location where it occurred."
Types
CPR, or cardiopulmonary resuscitation, is used when someone has stopped breathing and his heart has stopped. CPR is a combination of chest compressions and administering breaths to the victim that is designed to artificially replicate circulation and breathing in a person who is unable to do so for himself. First aid can be as simple as managing minor bleeding, flushing debris from someone's eye, splinting broken bones or managing more severe injuries until help comes. First aid courses cover what to do for someone suffering from such emergencies as allergic reaction, fainting, stroke, seizures, bleeding, head injuries, broken bones, animal and bug bites or electrocution.
Time Frame
You can learn CPR and first aid in an afternoon or a couple of evenings. The American Heart Association's Heartsaver First Aid, CPR and AED program, which covers basic first aid and CPR skills, takes about 6 1/2 hours of classroom and hands-on time to complete. The American Red Cross's first aid and CPR program takes roughly seven hours to complete.
Potential
Statistics suggest that most people suffering a heart attack die before they get to a hospital. By knowing CPR, the bystander witnessing a cardiac arrest who knows when and use CPR becomes a key link in the chain of survival. Likewise, by knowing basic first aid, someone can help keep a person alive, or minimize the effects of an injury, until someone with advanced skills arrives.
Tags: American Heart, American Heart Association, Heart Association, American Cross, cardiac arrest, basic first