If you want to provide CPR to a person in sudden cardiac arrest, but worry you won’t do it correctly, you’re not alone.
A 2022 survey from the American Heart Association found only 6 in 10 adults feel comfortable taking charge and providing CPR. Lack of training or knowledge about how to perform it correctly ranked as the top reasons why.
While it’s natural to feel nervous or uncertain about providing emergency care to another person, there’s good reason to calm your nerves and step up to provide CPR: When performed immediately and correctly, it can double or triple a cardiac arrest victim’s chance of survival. Without it, the chance of survival is virtually zero.
For this discussion, we’ll focus on hands-only (just chest compressions) CPR. The American Heart Association recommends this approach for bystander CPR (CPR performed by a non-medical professional) because there are just two steps: Call 911, then push hard and fast in the center of the person’s chest. The hands-only approach is shown to be highly effective in adults and teens.
Let’s break down hands-only CPR a bit further and provide you with five steps to help you boost your confidence.
1. While kneeling beside the person, place the palm of your dominant hand at the center of the chest, just below the ribcage. Place your other hand on top of your bottom hand and interlock your fingers.
2. With your arms straight, but your elbows not locked, compress the chest to the depth of two inches.
3. Perform 100 to 120 compressions per minute. If you need help keeping pace, there are many pop songs you can follow along to in your head (or hum or sing) to use as a guide. The Bee Gees’ hit “Stayin’ Alive” fits perfectly. Here are many others.
4. Allow the chest to recoil fully after each compression. This helps to ensure the heart fills with blood completely after a compression.
5. CPR can be physically demanding. Maintaining consistent compressions is highly important, but so is not tiring yourself out, or injuring yourself. If someone is with you who’s capable of performing CPR, switch off with them. If you’re alone, take a break for a few seconds. Keep performing CPR as best you can until emergency personnel arrive and take over.
Here’s a bonus tip about performing CPR: Don’t worry that you’ll cause injury to the person, such as breaking ribs. A person in cardiac arrest has technically died. You’re their best – and likely only – chance of survival. Need more convincing? Good Samaritan laws provide legal protection for individuals – like you – who try in good faith to help someone in an emergency.
At Starting Hearts, we can provide specific training for making a life-saving difference. Contact us for more information: info@startinghearts.org.
Patrick Golden is a healthcare writer based in Massachusetts.
