Heart disease is a general term for a set of heart problems. The heart is a vital organ in the body and any illness affecting the heart is life-changing. Some heart diseases are preventable and most of them are manageable with proper treatment. Heart disease is a leading case of death in the United States with one in every four people dying from heart related illness.
Cardiopulmonary resuscitation also known as CPR is a procedure performed on cardiac arrest victims to revive their heart rhythm. Cardiac arrest occurs when the heart suddenly stops functioning. The risk of cardiac arrest increases with age. However, anyone can fall victim. A set of factors are known to cause heart problems. Among them include lifestyle and genetic factors.
Cardiac arrest can affect healthy persons without prior heart problems. Corporate safety managers should be aware of the causes, symptoms and management of cardiac arrest cases. The symptoms of cardiac arrest include loss of consciousness and unresponsiveness. Victims may also experience chest pain or discomfort, feeling of light-headedness or collapsing, palpitations and shortness of breath.
Here are the key differences between the Heart Attack and Cardiac Arrest. Enroll Now for Online CPR/AED Training & Certification Classes at just $19.95.
Below graphical representation shows some of the key data points that proves, every individual should learn CPR. Learn more about the basic CPR training and certification course at CPR Select.
When we hear about a heart attack, a vivid image comes to mind where the victim cries out in agony while they clutch their chest and left arm before collapsing to the ground. Did you know that, in many cases, a heart attack looks nothing like this? In fact, the victim of a heart attack often does not even know that they’re having one, especially in women.
Did you know that performing CPR on a cardiac arrest victim can double or even triple their chance of survival?
When a person goes into cardiac arrest, the heart stops beating. CPR keeps the blood and oxygen pumping to the body’s major organs until and Automated External Defibrillator (AED) or emergency medical staff can restart it. Without blood and oxygen flowing to the organs, severe brain damage can occur within four minutes, and the victim will die within 10 minutes.
There are approximately 350,000 cardiac arrest cases in the United States each year, mostly occurring at home, with about 90% resulting in death. The high mortality rate is due to the victim’s not getting the help they need quickly enough. By learning CPR techniques, you can become a rescuer in an emergency and save a life when it matters most.
Bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (BCPR) has a significant impact on survival rates when performed on cardiac arrest patients outside of the hospital. To be the most effective, however, BCPR needs to be administered quickly and include the following events: immediately recognizing cardiac arrest, calling 911, performing CPR focused on chest compressions, and defibrillation with an automated external defibrillator (AED). CPR keeps blood flowing to the major organs of the body, including the brain, and using and AED will restart the heart. These procedures need to be performed immediately after the patient collapses because the chances of survival decrease rapidly with each minute that passes.
BCPR can double or triple a cardiac arrest patient’s survival rate, but unfortunately, most bystanders do not perform BCPR, even when they’ve been trained in the procedure. Less than half of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) patients receive BCRP. OHCA is the most common cause of death in the US and is among the most time sensitive medical emergencies.
