MINNEAPOLIS — More than 350,000 cardiac arrests occur outside of a hospital in the United States each year, according to data from the American Heart Association.
That’s why this year, the American Heart Association is encouraging people to take the “Be The Beat” challenge — to have at least one person in every Minnesota household learn Hands-Only CPR during American Heart Month in February.
About 90% of people who suffer out-of-hospital cardiac arrests die. And, because about 70% of cardiac arrests happen at home, odds are the person who needs CPR will be a family member or friend.
Hands-Only CPR is quick and simple to learn and can be performed by anyone. More importantly, if performed immediately, CPR can double or triple a cardiac arrest victim’s chance of survival.
Hands-Only CPR involves two simple steps and anyone can learn it from a 90-second video available at
heart.org/handsonlycpr
.
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- Step 1: If a teen or adult in your home suddenly collapses, call 911 immediately.
- Step 2: Place one hand on top of the other as shown in the video and push hard and fast on the victim’s chest.
According to the American Heart Association, people feel more confident performing Hands-Only CPR and are more likely to remember the correct rate when trained to the beat of a familiar song.
All songs in the 'Don't Drop the Beat' playlist are between 100 - 120 beats per minute, the same rate at which rescuers should perform compressions when administering CPR. The beat of any of several songs including “Stayin’ Alive,” by the Bee Gees, “Crazy in Love,” by Beyoncé featuring Jay-Z, “Hips Don’t Lie,” by Shakira or “Walk the Line,” by Johnny Cash can “be the beat” to save a life.
The Trust Project
