If you’ve never saved a life using CPR, you may wonder why it seems so important to not only learn it in the first place, but to keep your skill set fresh. CPR is dormant knowledge, and without practice to refresh it, unfortunately slips through your brain’s cracks.
Statistics from research by the Penn Emergency Department’s Center for Resuscitation Science show that a person’s chances of receiving out-of-home CPR in the event of cardiac arrest are about 32% on average. These aren’t great odds, since CPR can literally be the difference between life and death. This is why CPR is so important in the first place. The more people who are trained in CPR, the higher the chance of life-saving help.
Unfortunately, statistics also show that of the CPR performed in that 32%, only about half is performed incorrectly. This brings a heart attack victim’s chance of receiving life-saving CPR down to 16%, which is a dire number. This is why it’s so important to not only learn CPR, but to refresh your knowledge regularly to stay confident and proficient in saving lives.
In addition to proper technique, the most important component of quality CPR is response time. Every second can be critical to a body without oxygen, and you don’t want to waste even a second trying to remember any of your training that has grown foggy in your memory. Keep your CPR skills so fresh that when called upon you can spring into action without any delay.
