CPR BY THE AVERAGE PERSON SAVES LIVES

Can the average person save a life? New research shows that bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) can substantially improve a person’s odds of surviving a cardiac arrest. Researchers at Saint Luke’s Heart Institute and the University of Missouri-Kansas City looked at nearly 200,000 documented cardiac arrest cases that occurred outside of a hospital between 2013 and 2022. They found that bystander CPR consistently improved outcomes relative to no bystander CPR at all. But they also found diminishing returns the longer it took for CPR to start. The researchers note that this highlights the importance of encouraging everyday people to perform CPR. More than 350,000 cardiac arrests happen outside of the hospital in the U.S. annually, with about 9% of victims surviving. According to the study, CPR performed immediately could double or triple someone’s chances of survival.
* Screaming “Don’t die on me, you sonofabitch!” adds another 18% to the survival rate.
* Mouth-to-mouth resuscitation increases survival 23 percent, and your chances of a second date 36 percent.
* So performing CPR has better outcomes than no CPR at all. Thanks, Science!
* To time your CPR compressions, they used to say follow the beat of The Bee-Gee’s “Stayin’ Alive.” Important Update: If you’re too young to know that song, you can also use Taylor Swift’s “You’re Losing Me,” “Welcome to New York,” and “Sparks Fly.” (True – this was part of an official announcement by the American Heart Association last December.)
* JOKE: A 911 operator gets a call. “I’m out in the woods hunting with my friend, and he just collapsed! I think he’s dead! What do I do?” The 911 operator says, “Calm down sir. First you want to make sure that he’s really dead.” There’s a pause, then a loud bang. The guy comes back on the phone, he says, “Ok, now what?”