Online CPR Certification Blog

Understanding more about cardiac arrest

According to the study, people who viewed the video were highly likely to take the best action unlike those who never watched the demonstration. Dr. Bentley Bobrow who authored the study said that cardiac arrest is among the top causes of deaths today in the United States. The researchers were figuring out effective and novel ways of helping the public understand more about cardiac arrest and make them more willing to perform CPR when necessary. Now, he says that people can easily watch the 60 second demonstration on the internet, at home, on your while or even as you pump gas.

This video can go a long way in helping save many lives. Every year, there are over 300, 000 cases of cardiac arrests happening in the U.S outside of hospitals and less than 30% of these victims are able to get CPR. However, Bobrow said that a bystander administered CPR could double or triple survival rates of cardiac arrest victims. The survival rates vary greatly among communities and can range between 3 and 15 percent. Most of the variation in rates witnessed here is largely determined by CPR, says Sayre who also contributed in the study.

The study mainly looked at the effects of demonstration and it showed hands only CPR where a bystander calls 911 then pumps the victim’s heart rapidly with deep chest compressions but without mouth to mouth resuscitation. Hand only CPR has proved to be equally effective just like the complex mouth to mouth resuscitation, notes the research. After a person collapses, most people are usually very hesitant to act mainly because they have no confidence and are not okay performing mouth to mouth CPR on a stranger. However, it can be very disastrous not to do anything and untrained person does no harm by just opting to help.

How the study was undertaken

For this particular study, there were 336 participants involved who were divided randomly into four groups. The control group never watched the video while the other three groups watched an 8 minute video, a 5 min video or a second video which included an opportunity of practicing skills demonstrated. Their skills were tested by asking the participants to role play exactly what they would do in case someone collapses suddenly in their presence. The depth and rate of chest compressions was gauged by use of a manikin that was programmed with software. While the study might have given good results during the simulation, it is still not clear what the participants would have done in real life scenarios. Sayre says that they don’t really know exactly how this would translate in actual emergency situations. More information is needed to ensure that it really works but there are high hopes that would definitely work out as expected.