written by : ASHI and MEDIC First Aid 

About 70% of heart-attack related deaths occur before the person reaches the hospital. Therefore, the combination of calling 911, early CPR and early AED use give the best chance of survival for cardiac arrest victims.

THE IMPORTANCE OF EARLY CPR AND EARLY AED USE

When responding to a cardiac arrest emergency, every second counts.

Brain damage begins after four to six minutes without oxygen. Brain death may occur after 10 minutes without oxygen.

This is often not enough time for EMS personnel to arrive, even in the best response time scenarios.

Bystanders (e.g. family members, co-workers, the stranger next to you, etc.) are the key to survival.

Bystanders have the ability to react and respond immediately. However, it’s common that bystanders aren’t confident in recognizing signs of cardiac arrest. Unfortunately, this can result in delayed care or worse: not calling 911 at all.

How do we solve this disconnect?

We start by taking every opportunity to raise awareness of the importance of early CPR and early AED use. We let the public know that even if they don’t have formal training, they can still make a huge difference in saving someone’s life.

GET CERTIFIED IN CPR, AED AND FIRST AID

We encourage every person to get training in CPR, AED and First Aid, regardless of their work requirements. Most cardiac arrest events happen in homes, which means bystanders will most likely use these lifesaving skills to save the life of someone they love.