CPR Training and You

Should you get CPR training?

Yes, you should get CPR training! Every year, thousands of people have a cardiac arrest. This is when the heart stops beating.

It happens at home. And it happens in other places outside of a hospital.

Most people who have cardiac arrest die before they reach the hospital. But CPR can greatly increase their chances of surviving. Unfortunately, few people who have cardiac arrest outside of a hospital get CPR. If you know CPR, you can help save a life.

You may not want to do CPR. You may be afraid of or uncomfortable with the rescue breathing (sometimes called mouth-to-mouth). The American Heart Association (AHA) has found that doing only the chest compressions part of CPR works just as well as chest compressions combined with rescue breathing. This is called hands-only, or compression-only, CPR. Hands-only CPR is two simple steps:

1. Call 911 (or send someone to make the call), and

2. Push hard and fast in the center of the chest (100 to 120 beats per minute).

It's important to learn how to do hands-only, or compression-only, CPR and help save a life.

Where to get CPR training

You can take a CPR training class online. Or you can take an in-person class in your area. To find a class, contact the:

• American Heart Association:  https://www.heart.org/en or 800-AHA-USA-1 (800-242-8721).

• American Red Cross: https://www.redcross.org/ or 800-RED-CROSS (800-733-2767), or your local Red Cross office.

Other courses

Both the AHA and the American Red Cross offer many different first aid and CPR classes. Contact your local hospital. They have regular education and training classes, such as:

• Infant CPR.

• Child CPR and AED (automated external defibrillator).

• Adult CPR with breaths.

• Hands-only CPR, also called chest compression-only CPR, and using an AED.

• How to help a choking adult, child, or baby.

• CPR refresher.

• Babysitter or caregiver courses.