By Jointra Editorial Team, Certified EMT
When someone goes into cardiac arrest, their heart stops pumping blood to the brain and vital organs. Without intervention, brain damage begins within 4 to 6 minutes. Biological death follows shortly after.
The average EMS response time in the United States is approximately 7 minutes in urban areas, and significantly longer in suburban and rural communities. In a cardiac arrest, that gap is often unsurvivable without bystander action.
Bystander CPR, meaning chest compressions performed by someone on the scene before EMS arrives, can double or triple survival rates. And yet, fewer than half of cardiac arrest victims receive bystander CPR.
The reason is simple: most people do not know how to do it, and many who do are afraid to try.
This guide addresses both problems.
Cardiac arrest is not always dramatic. Someone does not always clutch their chest and fall. Signs include:
If someone is unresponsive and not breathing normally, treat it as cardiac arrest.
Step 1: Call 911 immediately Do not start CPR before calling or having someone else call. The dispatcher will guide you through the process and send help.
Step 2: Begin chest compressions
Step 3: Use an AED if available Automated External Defibrillators are designed for use by untrained bystanders. Turn it on, follow the voice prompts, and apply the pads as shown in the diagram. The device will analyze the heart rhythm and tell you whether a shock is needed. You cannot shock someone who does not need it; the AED will not allow it.
AEDs are required by law in many public buildings, schools, gyms, and airports. Know where they are in places you frequent.
Step 4: Continue until help arrives CPR is exhausting. If others are present, switch compressors every 2 minutes to maintain quality. Do not stop.
If you are untrained or uncomfortable with rescue breaths, compression-only CPR, meaning chest compressions without mouth-to-mouth, is effective and recommended by the American Heart Association for untrained bystanders. Compressions are the most critical component.
Do not let uncertainty about rescue breaths stop you from starting compressions.
Many bystanders hesitate because they are afraid of doing harm. The data is clear: you cannot make cardiac arrest worse by performing CPR. The person's heart has already stopped. The only direction from there is better, if you act.
You will not break ribs intentionally, though rib fractures do sometimes occur with effective CPR. A broken rib is survivable. Cardiac arrest without intervention is not.
Reading about CPR is not the same as being trained. The American Heart Association and American Red Cross both offer CPR and AED courses that take 2 to 4 hours and are available in most communities. Many are free or low-cost.
Being CPR-certified means that if someone collapses in front of you, a stranger, a coworker, a parent, you will know what to do in the three minutes that determine everything.
Get trained. Then train the people around you.