Sudden cardiac arrest is a leading cause of death. Nearly 400,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests occur annually in the United States. Eighty-nine percent of people who suffer an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest die because they don’t receive immediate CPR from someone on the scene.
On Tuesday, July 18 the Charles County Commissioners took part in “Don’t Be a Bystander, Be a Lifesaver” hands-only CPR instruction. Hands-only CPR is CPR without mouth-to-mouth breathers. It consists of two easy steps: 1) Call 9-1-1 (or send someone to call), and 2) push hard and fast in the center of the chest to the tune of “Stayin’ Alive” by the Bee Gees.
If bystander CPR is not provided, a sudden cardiac arrest victim’s chances of survival fall 7 percent to 10 percent for every minute of delay until defibrillation.
