What is the meaning of CPR?
The acronym CPR stands for Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation. It is a first aid emergency procedure used to save a person’s life that has a sudden cardiac arrest. It involves rescue breathing and chest compressions to allow oxygenated blood to circulate to vital organs like the brain and heart. Let’s break this down further to understand CPR better.
- Cardio: The word “cardio” basically means the heart. Our heart is one of the most critical organs in our bodies. The heart is a powerful muscle found in the chest, which expands and contracts more than 60 times every minute and pumps blood, which is rich in oxygen, from the lungs to the rest of the organs in the body. If the heart stops pumping that all-important oxygen-rich blood to the rest of the body, tissue begins to die because the body’s vital organs are being deprived of the oxygen it needs to survive. This leads to organ malfunction, brain damage, or, in the worst case, death.
- Pulmonary: The word “pulmonary” essentially means the lungs. The lungs are as important as the heart because when you take a breath (which you do up to 25 times a minute!), you fill your lungs with much-needed oxygen and that oxygen combines with sugar to fuel your body and its vital organs. Since the tissues in our body do not store much oxygen, they must remain constantly oxygenated.
- Resuscitation: The “R” in CPR is the most crucial letter, meaning “resuscitation.” It means bringing someone who is apparently “dead” back to life. It sounds more like a sci-fi movie than it really is. The human body only has a short supply of oxygen once the heart stops and the lungs no longer receive adequate oxygen. Once it runs out of oxygen, cell and tissue damage ensue, leading to brain damage and even death. When resuscitating a victim, it is important to remember that without oxygen, cell and tissue death begins between four and six minutes after being deprived of oxygen.
In simple terms, CPR is a life-saving action you take when someone's heart or breathing stops.
Why is CPR Important?
Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation is lifesaving. It helps keep the blood circulating and delivers oxygen to the body until treatment from a medical professional is available. There is usually sufficient oxygen in the blood to keep the victim’s brain and other vital organs alive, supported for a few minutes. Still, it is not circulating until someone accomplishes CPR.
Although there is no guarantee that a cardiac arrest victim will survive CPR, it gives the victim a chance. According to the American Heart Association (AHA), cardiopulmonary resuscitation double or triple the chances of survival after cardiac arrest. Without performing CPR, it will only take a few minutes for the victim’s brain to become injured due to a lack of oxygen.
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