LEARN CPR at Fitness By Felix

Sadly, 350,000 sudden cardiac arrests occur outside of the hospital. Globally, cardiac arrest claims more lives than colorectal cancer, breast cancer, prostate cancer, accidents, HIV, firearms, and house fires combined.

Sources of these statistics are from the American Heart Association (AHA), and the National Institute of Health (NIH).

Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest costs Americans 2.2 billion annually to families and employers. In one study from Occupational Health & Safety (OHS), a workplace death costs an employer 175 percent of that worker’s salary. A link to the website OHS is listed below. Experiencing depression from witnessing or being notified of a coworker’s death in the workplace, is also an associated cost to the employer. Often employees will take personal days, paid or unpaid leave just to adjust to a coworker’s death.

The workplace community can certainly take steps to help alter the outcomes, of out-of-hospital sudden cardiac deaths. Learning CPR and how to acquire the proper mindset in these sudden cardiac arrest scenarios will help you get there. As a former New York City Paramedic I conducted life-saving CPR measures, to many cardiac arrest patients. And when we had successful resuscitations, it was a remarkable experience to be a part of.

Early use of an AED - Automated External Defibrillator is crucial.

Successful resuscitation in a sudden cardiac arrest event with an unknown collapse time is about 8-10%. But bystander CPR performed immediately after witnessing a sudden cardiac arrest, can have a resuscitation rate of 13-15%. As long as CPR is continued and uninterrupted until EMS arrives, and takes over. The use of an Automated External Defibrillator (AED), along with CPR within 3-5 minutes of a person collapsing can increase the survival rate to 49-75%!

Many of life’s unwanted scenarios will usually be out of our control, with unwanted endings. But for a percentage of people who survived a sudden cardiac arrest event—because of bystander CPR, they will be forever grateful to people who took a chance on them by performing CPR.

*Click on our Contact Page to request information about our ongoing CPR Training and Prudent Heart Living classes.

Recent advances and controversies in adult cardiopulmonary resuscitation - PMC (nih.gov)

The Cost of Cardiac Arrest in the Workplace -- Occupational Health & Safety (ohsonline.com)

The video below is of a Nurse as a bystander saving a life with CPR, and the early use of an AED.

(4198) Hero Nurse Saves Softball Player’s Life During Game - YouTube