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Why Don’t Bystanders Perform CPR?

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In the United States, more than 325,000 people go into cardiac arrest outside of a medical setting every year. When those people receive CPR immediately, their odds of survival are more than doubled. The likelihood that they won’t suffer brain damage or other lasting harm increases significantly as well. So why don’t more bystanders perform CPR on people who are in need?

Bystanders Fear Causing Additional Injury

bystanders perform CPR
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In a new study, researchers asked 677 people about barriers to performing bystander CPR. The primary reason for inaction was a concern about causing additional injury to a patient, especially if that patient was elderly, female or adolescent. The second most common reason was a lack of CPR training and ability.

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An additional reason given was fear of exposing a patient or being perceived as touching a patient inappropriately. Overall, women are 27 percent less likely than men to receive CPR from a bystander.

Of the 677 people surveyed, fewer than 65 percent of respondents said that they would be “extremely likely” or “moderately likely” to perform CPR. It is clear, from these results, that additional CPR education and training is key to ensuring that more bystanders perform CPR.

A CPR Course Could Save a Life

Register for an American Red Cross or American Heart Association CPR/AED certification course with HeartCert today, and you could save a life tomorrow.

HeartCert CPR is your trusted training partner for First Aid and CPR in the Twin Cities and throughout Minnesota. We now offer online, night and weekend classes to fit your busy schedule!

HeartCert offers a variety of courses, including CPR/AED/First Aid and CPR/AED, Basic Life Support (BLS), Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS), Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS), and Emergency Medical Responder – First Responder (EMR). Courses and certifications from both the American Heart Association and American Red Cross are available.

Find your CPR class at any of our convenient Twin Cities locations, including our new headquarters, HeartCert CPR Eagan.

HeartCert CPR to Offer Red Cross CPR Classes

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HeartCert CPR is proud to announce that it will now offer American Red Cross CPR certification courses, in addition to current American Heart Association offerings, at all of its locations. These new courses will allow HeartCert to reach an even broader audience, and work with another highly reputable organization to train more people in the life-saving skills of CPR.

Red Cross
photo credit: American Red Cross

The American Red Cross uses the latest science and preferred techniques to create engaging, informative courses. These courses offer increased flexibility and class options, including review courses and challenge (or test-out) courses for experienced providers. 

In addition, this Red Cross partnership will allow HeartCert to offer an increased number of blended course options. Blended courses reduce in-classroom time by having participants do some online coursework before class. This leads to shorter and more convenient class options for both community and on-site certification courses. Certification card processes will also be faster and easier for participants to receive certifications after the course.

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American Red Cross courses, like American Heart Association classes, are nationally accredited. Certifications are accepted – and often preferred – by most employers. The Red Cross was recently approved and accepted to offer Advanced Life Support (ALS) and Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) training equivalent to that of the American Heart Association for those needing advanced certification courses.

These new CPR course options will be offered in addition to our existing American Heart Association certification courses. HeartCert will soon be adding additional class options for all course types.

HeartCert is proud to work with both of these highly reputable organizations to train and educate students on CPR, AED, BLS, ACLS, PALS and other life-saving skills throughout Minneapolis, St. Paul and the surrounding areas. By offering Red Cross certification courses, HeartCert is able to maintain our competitive pricing while providing more options to our students.

Ready to book an American Heart Association or American Red Cross CPR certification course? Find a class near you today.

HeartCert CPR is your trusted training partner for First Aid and CPR in the Twin Cities and throughout Minnesota. We now offer online, night and weekend classes to fit your busy schedule!

HeartCert offers a variety of courses, including CPR/AED/First Aid and CPR/AED, Basic Life Support (BLS), Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS), Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS), and Emergency Medical Responder – First Responder (EMR). Courses and certifications from both the American Heart Association and American Red Cross are available.

Find your CPR class at any of our convenient Twin Cities locations, including our new headquarters, HeartCert CPR Eagan.

5 Ways to Reduce Dietary Sodium

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Excess sodium can be a major contributor to heart disease and stroke, raising blood pressure and causing plaque to accumulate in the blood vessels. Certain factors, such as age, gender, race and ethnicity, may influence the impact of sodium on your blood vessels, making it important to understand your genetic as well as lifestyle risk factors.

sodium
@belart84 accessed 09/05/2019 via CC0

An estimated 90 percent of Americans consumes more sodium than the daily recommended allowance. So if you suspect that there’s too much sodium in your diet, you’re probably right.

Read on for 5 ways to lower your daily salt intake, courtesy of the American Heart Association.

Read labels

When we talk about sodium, we’re not talking about salt from the shaker, although that’s something to watch too. More than 70 percent of the sodium we eat every day comes from restaurants or prepackaged foods. That’s why it’s so important to read and understand labels – not only on salty snacks, but condiments, meat, and even “health foods.”

Buy frozen, not canned

Canned vegetables are often very high in salt. Frozen are fresher, cheaper, and healthier. For canned beans, drain and rinse well before cooking or serving.

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Add other sources of flavor

When cooking, use herbs, spices, garlic and vinegar to add flavor, and always taste food before adding salt.

Eat potassium-rich foods

Potassium naturally counters the effects of sodium in the body and may lower blood pressure. Incorporate foods like bananas, sweet and white potatoes, tomatoes, cantaloupe, white and kidney beans and oranges into your diet.

Transition slowly

If you find that you miss the flavor of salt, start by mixing low-sodium and regular foods, or by adding just slightly less salt to your dishes. Next time, add a little less. You’ll be enjoying low-sodium food before you know it!

HeartCert CPR is your trusted training partner for First Aid and CPR in the Twin Cities and throughout Minnesota. We now offer online, night and weekend classes to fit your busy schedule! We offer a variety of courses, including CPR/AED/First Aid and CPR/AED, Basic Life Support (BLS), Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS), Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS), and Emergency Medical Responder – First Responder (EMR).

Find your CPR class at any of our convenient Twin Cities locations, including our new headquarters, HeartCert CPR Eagan.

A Brief History of CPR

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It’s back to school season in Minneapolis and across the country, so we decided it might be a good time for a history lesson! According to the American Heart Association, CPR has existed in some form for hundreds of years, with the current method only developed within the last century.

history
Photo c/o the American Heart Association

It’s unclear whether any of these tactics actually worked, but it’s interesting to see how CPR has changed throughout history.

Flagellation Method – Early Ages

This entailed whipping with stinging nettles, or striking with the hands or a wet cloth in order to rouse a response from the victim.

Bellows Method – 1530s

Rescuers used fireplace bellows, which were traditionally used to blow air into a lagging fire, to force air into the lungs.

Inversion and Barrel Methods – 1770s

Primarily used in drownings, the inversion method entailed hanging victims upside down to remove pressure from the lungs. In the barrel method, victims were rolled over a barrel to force chest compressions.

 

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Trotting Horse Method – 1800s

Similar to the barrel method, pressure was manually applied to the chest – this time, by laying over a trotting horse.

Leroy Method – 1820s

This tactic was similar to today’s hands-only CPR, in that victims were laid on their back. Pressure was then applied to the abdomen and chest.

Dalrymple Method – 1830s

This entailed placing a long cloth underneath a person lying on their back, crossing the cloth over the chest, and two people pulling on each end.

Mouth-to-Mouth Resuscitation – 1958

The rescuer blows into the victim’s mouth, forcing air into the lungs.

Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation – 1960

This was a combination of mouth-to-mouth resuscitation and chest compressions.

Hands-Only CPR – 2008

In an effort to motivate more bystanders to perform CPR, the mouth-to-mouth resuscitation portion of modern CPR was removed.

Ready to learn hands-only CPR and be prepared to save a life? Register for a St. Paul CPR training course today.

HeartCert CPR is your trusted training partner for First Aid and CPR in the Twin Cities and throughout Minnesota. We now offer online, night and weekend classes to fit your busy schedule! We offer a variety of courses, including CPR/AED/First Aid and CPR/AED, Basic Life Support (BLS), Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS), Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS), and Emergency Medical Responder – First Responder (EMR).

Find your CPR class at any of our convenient Twin Cities locations, including our new headquarters, HeartCert CPR Eagan.

Defibrillators Improve Survival in Kids

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A new study has found that automatic external defibrillators, or AEDs, improve survival rates for children who suffer cardiac arrest outside of a hospital setting. Specifically, the study found that children who were treated with an AED by a bystander had a survival rate of just over 29 percent. To compare, children not treated with an AED had a 23.7 percent survival rate.

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The study also found that older children are more likely to receive AED treatment than infants and preschoolers. Experts believe this is because older children more commonly go into cardiac arrest at places with defibrillators, like schools. In addition, bystanders may be afraid to perform CPR or use an AED on small children for fear of harming them.

AED Use Can Save Lives

Automatic External Defibrillators
photo credit: Pixabay,com accessed 08/20/2019 via CC0

While the findings of this study may seem obvious, these are important facts to note and discuss. More than 350,000 Americans experience cardiac arrest outside of a hospital every year. About 7,000 of those are children. Raising awareness of the life-saving usefulness of AEDs may motivate more businesses to make them accessible, and more people to learn how to use them. In turn, more children will live past a cardiac arrest.

This research makes it clear: when bystanders use defibrillators on children in cardiac arrest, lives are saved. Our Minneapolis CPR/AED courses teach this life-saving skill to daycare providers, school teachers, parents and anyone who wants to be able to help people suffering cardiac emergencies.

 

HeartCert CPR is your trusted training partner for First Aid and CPR in the Twin Cities and throughout Minnesota. We now offer online, night and weekend classes to fit your busy schedule! We offer a variety of courses, including CPR/AED/First Aid and CPR/AED, Basic Life Support (BLS), Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS), Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS), and Emergency Medical Responder – First Responder (EMR).

Find your CPR class at any of our convenient Twin Cities locations, including our new headquarters, HeartCert CPR Eagan.

Make Your Workplace More Heart-Healthy

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We spend a large portion of our lives at work. Whether you work full- or part-time, at a workplace or remote, in front of a computer or on your feet, or anywhere in between, it’s important to make healthy habits part of your daily work routine.

We have a few tips from the American Heart Association on making your workplace more heart-healthy, but we’d love to hear your ideas as well. Share in the comments or on our Facebook page!

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Get Moving

Moving more at work starts with the commute. Walk, bike or take public transit if possible, or park far away and take the stairs instead of the elevator. Move often throughout the day by setting a recurring alarm in your calendar. Stand during telephone calls, and plan walking meetings with coworkers. You’ll find yourself with more energy and motivation!

heart-healthy workplace
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Stretch and Tone

Spending all day hunched in front of a computer can take a toll. Spend a few minutes stretching out your neck, back and legs. Use your desk chair or cubicle wall to do modified exercises, like tricep dips and squats.

Focus on Stress

Stress can be a huge contributor to heart disease. Practice mindfulness and deep breathing to deal with day-to-day stressors. If chronic stress is an issue, consider talking to a mental health professional. (Many employer-provided health plans have some sort of mental health hotline to help defray costs.)

Take Advantage of Health Benefits

Whether you have employer-provided health insurance or not, your plan most likely includes annual exams and basic screenings, such as for blood pressure and cholesterol. Find out what your plan covers and take advantage of it! In many cases of heart disease, early preventative action can make a big difference.

Get Trained in CPR!

Because every office worker should know how to save a life.

 

HeartCert CPR is your trusted training partner for First Aid and CPR in the Twin Cities and throughout Minnesota. We now offer online, night and weekend classes to fit your busy schedule! We offer a variety of courses, including CPR/AED/First Aid and CPR/AED, Basic Life Support (BLS), Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS), Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS), and Emergency Medical Responder – First Responder (EMR).

Find your CPR class at any of our convenient Twin Cities locations, including our new headquarters, HeartCert CPR Eagan.