HOW CPR SAVES LIVES
Repeated chest compressions and electric shock can be enough to kickstart a heart
WORDS SCOTT DUTFIELD
Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is the emergency procedure used to replicate the heart’s regular rhythm and ultimately save someone’s life. In the event that a person experiences cardiac arrest, they quickly fall unconscious due to the lack of oxygenating blood reaching their brain and lungs. To mimic the heart’s natural blood-pumping function, someone trained in CPR can use chest compression to pump blood in and out of the heart manually and pump oxygen-rich blood around the body until emergency medical intervention.
Although they might seem alike, a cardiac arrest is not the same event as a heart attack. When someone experiences a heart attack, the blood supply to the organ is blocked, typically by the buildup of substances such as fat or cholesterol. The heart cannot receive oxygen and begins to fail. A cardiac arrest, on the other hand, occurs when the heart stops pumping blood to the entire body, the patient stops breathing and falls unconscious. While both require urgent medical attention, those suffering a heart attack often remain conscious until they experience a cardiac arrest. CPR chest compressions can be accompanied by rescue breaths, also known as mouth-to-mouth. However, they are not mandatory to complete CPR, and are typically used by people with first aid training. After 30 chest pumps, you would tilt a person’s head gently the neck, seal your mouth over the unconscious person, blow for a second, repeat once more, then continue compressions. A rescue breath inflates the lungs with oxygen, as well as carbon dioxide, to increase the oxygenated blood supply to the body’s vital organs.