MedStar Health is teaming up with the Capitals, Mystics, Wizards and Georgetown Women’s Soccer to help boost community-based medical intervention during National CPR and AED Awareness Week.
The community relies on our medical first responders when emergencies happen. Every year more than 250,000 Americans go into cardiac arrest. Most people know what CPR looks like, but do you know what to do if you’re the only one around to help?
When someone’s heart suddenly stops, there is a one in 10 chance of surviving. According to CARES, the Cardiac Arrest Registry to Enhance Survival, if chest compressions are started right away, it can nearly double survival rates.
It’s called bystander CPR when someone steps in before 911 responders arrive.
MedStar Health and the professional and collegiate sports organizations released short videos teaching CPR and how to use an AED. The goal of the series is to help people feel more comfortable about stepping in when someone needs help.
In Washington D.C., between March 2014 and September 2019, there were nearly 3,500 cardiac arrests. Of those emergencies where others were present, only 30 percent had bystander CPR.
A study in the journal Critical Care Medicine found there were significantly higher rates of bystander CPR in the Nation’s Capital in neighborhoods where most residents were White. The researchers concluded more outreach needs to focus on Black and Hispanic communities.
Mouth-to-mouth resuscitation is no longer recommended. It’s better to give consistent chest compressions. There is already enough oxygen in the blood to keep organs alive until first responders arrive.