Though heart disease remains prevalent in our country, many Americans aren’t familiar with CPR or lifesaving basics. If someone collapses in public or at home, the tendency may be to panic or simply call 911, but this can be a fatal error for the victim. Rather than let someone else handle it and hope for the best, it’s important to go get certified in CPR. These stats about cardiac arrest and CPR illustrate why.

Facts about Cardiac Arrest

  • 45 percent of heart attacks occur in victims under age 65.
  • 95 percent of cardiac arrest victims die before reaching the hospital.
  • Over 80 percent of cardiac arrests occur in the home or in private.

That last statistic alone shows that you shouldn’t rely on another bystander being an off-duty doctor or being certified. It’s up to you, not anyone else, to save the life of a stranger or loved one.

Facts about CPR

  • 70 percent of Americans don’t act in an emergency because their CPR training is out of date, or they don’t know how to perform CPR
  • 32 percent of cardiac arrest victims receive CPR from a bystander, rather than emergency personnel.
  • For every minute that a cardiac arrest victim goes without CPR, their survival chances decrease by 7%.
  • If no CPR or defibrillation occurs within the first 5-6 minutes of cardiac arrest, brain damage could occur.
  • After 6 minutes of no CPR, the victim has a high probability of brain damage that rises with each minute.
  • Immediate CPR can double or triple a victim’s chances of survival.

It’s better to be prepared, especially in an emergency. When you consider emergency preparedness, make sure you add first aid and CPR to your list!