Posted on May 9th, 2022

The importance of CPR can scarcely be overstated. But cardiopulmonary resuscitation is only effective when significant portions of the population are able to administer it at a moment’s notice. We can’t simply rely on doctors, paramedics, and other emergency responders to master CPR techniques because, in most cases, it will be up to people like you to take action in an emergency while waiting for those professionals to arrive.

There are several good reasons why you should learn CPR, the most important of which is the fact that it may someday be you who saves a life.

1. CPR Can Save a Cardiac Arrest Victim’s Life

CPR is designed to keep oxygenated blood flowing to the heart and brain when sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) occurs. Because the heart can’t pump blood, tissue and organ death can occur in minutes without external assistance.

You may think it’s unlikely that you’ll ever be required to act in such an emergency. But cardiac arrest can occur at any time; in fact, it’s the #1 killer worldwide. Most SCA incidences (69.5%) occur in the home. Another 18.8% occur in public.

2. Cardiac Arrest Can Affect Anyone

You may assume that you don’t know anyone who’s at a high risk for SCA. While it’s true that certain risk factors do exist (such as age, gender, and heart disease), the real issue is a lot more complicated.

3. Most Cardiac Arrest Victims Don’t Survive

The mortality rate among out-of-hospital cardiac arrest victims is about 90%. Considering that the vast majority of these events—about 350,000 per year—occur outside the hospital, this is devastating news.

4. CPR Can Quadruple a Person’s Odds of Surviving SCA

CPR saves lives. It keeps blood flowing to vital organs while you await the arrival of emergency services. One meta-analysis of 79 studies found that bystander CPR increases a victim’s odds of survival by four times. The standard survival rate for out-of-hospital SCA is only about 10%, but the survival rate among sufferers receiving bystander CPR is nearly 45%.

So the problem isn’t that cardiac arrest victims can’t be saved. The issue is that less than 5% of the American public is trained in CPR. In most cases, sufferers are left waiting for emergency services. And the longer those services take to arrive, the worse the prognosis. That’s why we constantly stress the importance of CPR.

5. Every Minute Matters in a Cardiac Emergency

When you’re an untrained or minimally trained bystander, it’s easy to assume that you’re better off stepping aside and letting the professionals work their magic. This is a critical mistake. For every minute that a cardiac arrest victim goes without CPR, their chance of death increases by 10%.

Now consider that emergency professionals take an average of four to 10 minutes to respond to an emergency. Assuming you’re lucky enough to get professional support in just four minutes, the victim’s prognosis has still dropped by 40%. And if it takes 10 minutes for help to arrive, it may be too late. CPR buys you much-needed time during those critical minutes, maximizing the victim’s chances of survival.

6. CPR Makes AEDs More Effective

If you’re lucky, you’ll have access to an automated external defibrillator (AED) during a cardiac emergency. These lifesaving defibrillation devices are often stored in public places like hotels, gyms, churches, and offices, and they’re often successful in reviving cardiac arrest sufferers. But even if you have one of these devices on hand, it’s still important to understand CPR best practices.

7. Learn CPR Because May Save Someone You Love

Importance of learning CPR isn’t about memorizing beats per minute or discerning what a 2-inch chest compression feels like. It’s about investing in a simple but critical education that may someday benefit someone you love. In the event that a loved one falls victim to a cardiac event, you don’t want to be a helpless bystander. You have the power to be their lifeline.

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