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Heart-related emergencies can happen at any time. During such moments, you must be ready to act to help those in distress. To be able to do this, you have to beware of some misconceptions that may deter you from action. And you have to seek genuine knowledge that can motivate you to step up and be a lifesaver.
Heartstrong Heroes are people who have chosen to acquire the skills to handle such emergencies with total clarity of mind. When they undergo Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) training, they learn to separate myths from truths. This enables them to have such confidence that they unhesitatingly assist during times of crisis.
For example: What must you do when someone suddenly collapses, struggling to breathe? Should you check for a pulse? Is mouth-to-mouth breathing necessary? Can CPR work outside a hospital? What does popular opinion say? Is that opinion right or wrong?
In this article, we’ll dive deep into CPR and sort out the facts from misplaced beliefs. It will help clear up any confusion. Knowing what’s correct may also help you decide if you want to get that certification to become a first responder when it matters most.
The criticality of CPR cannot be overstated, as it serves as a vital link in the chain of survival during cardiac emergencies. When someone’s heart stops beating, or they experience a sudden cardiac arrest, immediate CPR can mean the difference between life and death.
It’s a simple yet powerful technique that buys precious time by keeping oxygen flowing to the brain and other vital organs until professional medical help arrives.
However, certain wrong ideas about CPR can be detrimental in these high-pressure situations. They can cause hesitation or reluctance to administer CPR when needed, often due to fear of doing something wrong.
In this context, clearing such false thinking can help enormously in removing barriers that stand in the way of ready help. By addressing these misperceptions head-on, we empower individuals to act swiftly and with a positive “Zinda Dil,” potentially saving lives and reinforcing the vital role of CPR in our communities.
These 5 notions about CPR are the most prevalent – and often the most problem-causing if they persist. That’s why we’ve decided to counter them with the knowledge that CPR-trained people know. This understanding can help you, too.
Contrary to this statement, hesitating to initiate CPR can have dire consequences. Waiting even a few moments before starting chest compressions can significantly reduce a person’s chances of survival.
The reality is that the sooner CPR is begun after a cardiac arrest, the better the chances of a positive outcome. According to the American Heart Association (AHA), the chances of survival decrease by about 10% for every minute that passes without CPR.
Waiting for professional help before starting CPR must be avoided. It’s crucial to understand that swift, immediate action is the norm regarding CPR, and any hesitation can be the difference between life and death.
This widespread misleading thought can discourage potential rescuers from performing CPR. In reality, the guidelines for CPR have evolved over the years, and the emphasis now primarily rests on high-quality chest compressions. Providing compression-only CPR is effective, simpler, and less intimidating for most bystanders and untrained individuals.
According to AED Leader, many apex medical bodies globally have shown that compression-only CPR can be more effective if it is done without stopping now and again for mouth-to-mouth breathing. They have, therefore, recommended the stoppage of mouth-to-mouth ventilation altogether in CPR for cardiac arrest.
Providing breaths is necessary in some situations, such as for children or drowning cases. Still, it’s essential to understand that offering CPR with chest compressions alone is now acceptable and often the preferred approach in many situations.
This is not only inaccurate information but also harmful. While medical professionals play a crucial role in advanced cardiac care within hospital settings, CPR’s effectiveness extends far beyond the hospital scenario. According to CPR Select, onlookers or CPR-trained individuals in the community can be equally, if not more, effective in saving lives.
Immediate CPR initiated by someone on the scene can maintain blood circulation, delivering vital oxygen to the brain and other organs until professional help arrives. Research has consistently shown that swift and proper CPR performed by laypeople significantly improves a cardiac arrest victim’s chances of survival.
Waiting for medical professionals to arrive before starting CPR drastically reduces the likelihood of a positive outcome. It would be better to understand that bystander intervention can help – and CPR can be a lifesaving measure anywhere, not just within the confines of a hospital.
This perspective can be dangerous if it leads to unnecessary delays in providing lifesaving care. In reality, checking for a pulse before initiating CPR is not mandatory and can waste precious time during a critical situation.
According to Rod Brouhard, writing in Very Well Health, “Any EMT or paramedic would certainly check a pulse, but in layperson CPR, the standard of care is to perform CPR on anyone who is not breathing – no need to check a pulse. The idea is to simplify CPR for folks who rarely use it.”
Even experienced medical professionals can find it challenging to accurately detect a pulse in high-stress situations, making it unreliable as a first step. We must prioritize rapid action by eliminating delays to check for a heartbeat.
This interpretation, too, can be seriously misleading. CPR serves as an immediate response during cardiac stoppages to sustain life until professional medical help arrives, but it should never replace the importance of regular medical check-ups and screenings.
CPR is not a preventive measure or a substitute for ongoing healthcare. Missing regular medical screenings can be detrimental to those with obesity, cholesterol, diabetes, and hypertension. These ailments, along with other hereditary factors, can have a multiplicative impact on heart health.
CPR is a critical skill, but its role is limited to emergencies, and it cannot make up for the absence of regular monitoring of high blood pressure, rise in cholesterol levels, the prevalence of diabetes symptoms, and unchecked obesity problems. According to AMS Cardiology, preventative heart care can help you and your doctors stay on top of your health and find potential issues before they develop into something more serious that requires an emergency response.
It is crucial to understand that CPR is a rapid, life-saving intervention. It has the best effects when immediate action can be performed by people who have undergone adequate training. While many erroneous views about CPR exist, they can be corrected with the knowledge we acquire when we enroll for CPR certifications. Most importantly, CPR education helps us realize that incorrect assumptions are often the cause of delays in reaction time.
Timely trained action is the ultimate key to heart-related sudden distress. Get your formal CPR training. Encourage people around you to shed their doubts and share your determination to save those critical moments when every heartbeat matters. Be a Heartstrong Hero.
