The recent unanticipated heart attack death of Meet the Press moderator, Tim Russert, 58, which occurred at work, dramatically underscores for us all just how unexpected & deadly sudden cardiac arrest can be. Moreover, it serves as an important reminder as to why we all should know how to perform the simple act of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) & how to use an automated external defibrillator (AED) – two basic life-saving skills that can be acquired by anyone in a matter of minutes.
“This sad death reminds us all that everyone should receive training in the ‘Three Simple Rs of CPR,’ – ‘how to ‘react, respond & resuscitate’ – because even though CPR doesn’t save lives in every instance, it still has a strong potential to spell the difference between life & death in many cases,” said ACEP President Linda L. Lawrence, MD, FACEP.
The need for greater CPR & AED training is supported by an American Heart Association study, released in May, which found that although 89% of adults are willing & able to assist a person undergoing cardiac arrest, only a mere 21% felt confident about actually performing CPR, & fewer still (15%) thought they knew how to use an AED. Moreover, the majority (two-thirds) of Americans who did undergo CPR training did so only because it was a work, school or military requirement.
Simplified Training Boosts Public Confidence in Acquiring and Retaining CPR, AED Skills
The good news is that new simplified guidelines have made performing CPR even easier, thus giving would-be rescuers more confidence & effectiveness in their ability to save a life. Moreover, studies have shown that new innovative half-hour training techniques have resulted in the average person being able to remember & retain effective life-saving skills for the long term.
“While most of the public is aware of the importance of CPR & AEDs, what many people don’t realize is how quick & easy these basic skills are to learn, especially under recently revised ‘hands-only’ CPR guidelines,” said Dr. Lawrence. “These new simplified procedures have made it even easier for bystanders to provide lifesaving care to heart attack victims by eliminating the requirement for mouth-to-mouth rescue breathing in the process.”
The new simplified CPR procedures are based on several studies that found that immediately delivering & maintaining uninterrupted, continuous chest compressions & blood flow through the heart is more important to survival than oxygenation in the first critical minutes following a heart attack.
In addition to delivering deep, hard & fast chest compressions, it is also critical to rapidly retrieve & use an AED (if one is available). These sophisticated electronic devices can immediately detect the abnormal heart rhythms that generally lead to sudden cardiac arrest, & if used within a few minutes after symptom onset, are highly reliable in being able to “shock” the heart back into a regular rhythm. Most important, they also prompt the rescuer on the steps to take (and repeat as needed), leading to greater confidence & success on the user’s part.
Statistics support the high success rate of AEDs, including a 2002 study of the use of AEDs in Chicago-area airports, which revealed 75% survival rates among persons collapsing with cardiac arrest in terminal areas. Furthermore, a large number of the bystander rescuers were first-time AED users, who were able to save lives simply by following the user-friendly prompts given by AED devices.
Building Greater Public Confidence, Awareness and Education
“The new, but still not widely-known, simplified CPR guidelines & training courses, coupled with the ease of use & effectiveness of AEDs, have prompted ACEP to step up its own public education efforts, with many of our emergency physician members participating,” said Dr. Lawrence.
One more prominent example is Dr. Paul Pepe of Dallas, a resuscitation specialist & professor of emergency medicine, who is also in charge of the city’s emergency medical services. Currently, Dr. Pepe is overseeing Dallas’ year-end goal of training all 13,000 of its employees in how to perform CPR & use an AED through a new AHA-based half-hour training course. The result: almost all of the city’s employees have already been trained, & other large area employers & the school systems are following suit.
As Dr. Pepe notes, “With the simplified measures in place, & especially considering that 70% to 80% of the cases requiring CPR occur in & around the home, with another 10% to 15% happening in the work place, there is not any reason not to get trained – because when a sudden, unanticipated cardiac arrest occurs, chances are it’s going to be someone we know or love whose life we might save.”
Dr. Lawrence agrees. “Recognizing that there is no way a professional rescuer can reliably reach the average cardiac arrest victim in the 4 or 5 minutes in which permanent brain damage can occur, it’s simply up to us to be ready to save our loved ones & friends – especially now that it’s so much more simple to do so.”
What To Do In An Emergency: REACT, RESPOND and RESUSCITATE!
ACEP advises that we take the following measures in the event of a sudden cardiac arrest heart attack:
* Learn to recognize the symptoms of sudden cardiac arrest & have someone immediately call 9-1-1 when they occur. Don’t delay in calling; it is essential that emergency medical services (EMS) personnel arrive on the scene as early as possible.
* In the meantime, direct someone to retrieve an AED (if available) while beginning immediate & continuous CPR. These potentially life-saving measures should be performed uninterrupted until professional EMS rescuers arrive.
* If an AED is available (which preferably should be retrieved while someone else is still doing CPR), turn it on, & follow the instructions.
For details on performing CPR (including instructions on how to deliver conventional CPR), see ACEP’s new Emergency Care manual. In addition, see AHA’s CPR Anytime Course for Family and Friends.