More than 329,000 of Americans are dying from out-of-hospital cardiac arrest every year because friends and family do too little to save them, according to a new report¹. This alarming statistic could hit close to home, because home is exactly where 88 percent of cardiac arrests occur².

The terrifying fact is that 70 percent of Americans may feel helpless to act during a cardiac emergency because they do not know how to administer CPR². Put very simply: The life you save with CPR is most likely to be someone you love.

“Cardiac arrest survival rates are unacceptably low,” said Robert Graham, who directs the national program office for Aligning Forces for Quality at George Washington University³.

But just because someone’s heart has stopped doesn’t necessarily mean he or she is dead and people need to understand that they can help, the Institute of Medicine report said¹. All it takes is a little training and a willingness to try, says Jonathan Epstein, a paramedic and CPR instructor for the American Red Cross in Washington.

“Don’t be afraid,” Epstein told NBC News. “We need to have family members, bystanders, co-workers ready to act. They need to be willing to get down on the ground and help,” he added.”

“For every minute we waste of not starting CPR…we lose about 10 percent of survivability.”¹ Yet only 3 percent of the population gets CPR training each year, the report said¹.

Today you can get Free CPR training. RED Safety is providing FREE CPR training, which satisfies the requirements for CPR training according to the latest ECC/ILCOR and American Heart Association guidelines.

Enter your ZIP code here to see whether Free CPR training is available in your area.

 

1 – The Institute of Medicine report

2 – According to the American Heart Association

3 – According to the NBC News

 

---

This article is sponsored by and writers are being compensated by Red Safety. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. All rights reserved.