“Am I doing it right? Am I hurting them?” These thoughts cross people’s minds when faced with an emergency requiring first aid. Yet in emergency situations, it’s often the most basic life-saving skills, like cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), that are the most beneficial.
CPR (also known as basic cardiac life support, or BCLS) is provided to people suffering cardiac arrest until advanced care can be applied to the casualty. It can be given by all levels of trained medical personnel, but most importantly, it can be provided if you’ve received CPR training. You don’t need medical equipment — at minimum, just some know-how and your hands.
Nearly 40,000 Canadians suffer sudden cardiac arrest each year. Four out of five of these cardiac arrests occur at home or in public places. For people suffering sudden cardiac arrest time is critical. After just 4 minutes, significant brain damage can occur and after 12 minutes, the survival rate is only 5%.