Graceful Health | Be a hero in 60 Seconds: The power of bystander CPR

Picture this: You’re enjoying a casual stroll through the park, daydreaming about your next vacation, when suddenly — BAM! — someone nearby collapses. People gasp, time slows, and everyone looks around, hoping someone else knows what to do.

What if that “someone” was you?

Bystander CPR (Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation) is easy to learn, takes just minutes to perform, and literally saves lives. And yet, only about 40 percent of cardiac arrest victims get CPR from a bystander before emergency responders arrive. The other 60 percent? Well... let’s just say their chances don’t look great.

BYSTANDER CPR IS A BIG DEAL

February is American Heart Month, so it’s an especially good time to think about how to save a heart.

Every year, more than 350,000 people experience cardiac arrest outside of a hospital. That’s almost the entire population of Iceland suddenly keeling over! Without immediate CPR, their chances of survival drop by about 10 percent every minute. By the time an ambulance arrives, it might be too late.

But here’s the good news: You can make the difference. If you start CPR right away, you can double or even triple a person’s chance of survival. And since most cardiac arrests happen in the home, the life you save may very well be one of your family members. And guess what? You don’t need a medical degree or fancy equipment. All you need is your hands and some quick thinking.

SAVE A LIFE IN 3 STEPS

Bystander CPR isn’t rocket science. It’s basically three simple steps:

1. Check the scene and the person

Make sure the area is safe. Then, tap the person and shout, “Are you okay?” If they don’t respond and they’re not breathing normally (or not breathing at all), they’re probably in cardiac arrest.

2. Call 911

Time is everything. Make sure to activate the Emergency Medical System to get professional help on its way. If you’re alone, put your phone on speaker mode while calling 911 so you can start CPR immediately. If there are others around, point at someone and say, “You! Call 911!” (People respond better to direct commands.) Believe it or not, there are even phone applications that can walk you through doing CPR by yourself if needed. (Download ahead of time!)

3. Push Hard and Fast

Now for the action:

• Kneel beside the person.
• Place both hands (one on top of the other) in the center of their chest.
• Push down hard and fast (about 2 inches deep, 100-120 beats per minute). How fast is that? Just hum the beat of Stayin’ Alive by the Bee Gees. (Yes, it’s ironic, but also genius.)

Keep going until help arrives or the person starts breathing on their own. If possible, tag team this action with someone else standing by, but in any case, keep it going. That’s it!

CPR MYTHS BUSTED!

“I might hurt them!”

Nah. They’re in cardiac arrest — doing nothing is way worse than a cracked rib.

“I need to do mouth-to-mouth, right?”

Not anymore! Hands-only CPR is often just as effective for adults who suddenly collapse.

“Someone else will do it.”

Maybe... but what if they don’t? If you step up, you might be the reason someone survives.

“I haven’t been trained.”

Taking a CPR or a CPR/First Aid class is a great idea. These can give you knowledge and confidence. But you don’t need any special training to follow the steps outlined here, so don’t let that stop you. Remember, any action is better than no action.

BECOME A CPR LEGEND

Sure, being a bystander sounds passive, but when it comes to CPR, it’s anything but! The difference between being a bystander and a lifesaver is just a few minutes of action.

We recommend you take a CPR class to be prepared ahead of time. Both the Red Cross and our local Vermont Emergency Medical Services Academy (VEMSA, Route 30, Townshend) offer frequent and low-cost classes to the general public. You can also learn how to use an AED (those automated defibrillators in public places).

Most importantly, don’t be afraid to step up — because when someone’s life is on the line, the best thing you can do is to act.

So, next time you hear Stayin’ Alive, don’t just dance — remember that you could save a life with that beat!