Heart disease is the number one cause of death. Every year nearly half a million people die due to a cardiac arrest. A lot of the cases of cardiac arrests are reported out-of-the-hospital setting. Learning about cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) can help save lives.

When you enroll in a first aid certification online, you will learn about the exact techniques involved in performing CPR. One important question most people have when they learn about the life-saving skill is why they have to compress the sternum area. You will know the answer to this in this article.

Why Compress the Sternum Area in CPR?

Contrary to what many people think, the heart is not located near the left lung. In fact, it is mostly centered and located just to the left of the sternum area. That’s why students taking CPR online class are taught to locate the sternum.

The sternum is a large, solid bone located above the heart. Pushing down on this bone using the hands compresses the heart. This process squeezes the heart that produces an amanual pumping action. Performing CPR keeps the blood flowing to vital body parts, and keep the victim alive until medical help arrives.

Pressing the sternum not only effectively compresses the heart, it also reduces the chances of a breaking the ribs. If we press on the left side of the lung where people mistakenly believe the heart is located, it can result in damage to the ribcage or worse the lung tissues.

Why It’s Important to Take Online CPR Classes?

Taking online CPR classes is essential if you want to learn about the lifesaving technique. You can learn proper procedure when you enroll in an online CPR certification class. This will allow you to more effectively perform the procedure in the case of an emergency thereby saving lives.

When you perform CPR, it keeps the body alive until professional help arrives. The first five minutes after a cardiac arrest are crucial. Performing CPR in this situation can help in saving the life of individuals.

The main goal of performing CPR is to ensure that the oxygen keeps flowing to important parts of the body long enough until the victim gets professional medical help. Apart from a heart attack, some of the other situations where you should perform CPR include the following.

  • When a drowning victim is not breathing
  • Cardiac arrest due to a drug overdose

You should immediately call emergency number in case someone suffers from a cardiac arrest. If the person is not breathing, you should start chest compressions and continue until paramedics arrive.

Getting certified will ensure that you take the right steps to save the life of a person who suffers from a cardiac arrest. Once you obtain a certification, you should update your information regularly by enrolling in a recertification course.  Researchers constantly review CPR procedures to find out the most effective outcome. So, you should update your knowledge regularly to ensure that you know the latest procedure for performing CPR.