HF-M Rotarians listening to the CPR/AED presentation at the May 5th meeting. Photo by Rotarian Dave Boyer
At the May 5th meeting of the Honeoye Falls – Mendon Rotary Club, Rob Dobberstein of Safety Educational Services (safetyeducationalservices.com) spoke to the group about CPR and sudden cardiac arrest.
Some surprising statistics Rotary members learned include:
-approximately half of victims of sudden cardiac arrest have no prior symptoms
-cardiac arrest is the leading cause of death in young athletes
-women are less likely than men to receive CPR assistance from bystanders, and are also less likely than men to survive cardiac arrest
-minorities are less likely than whites to receive bystander CPR assistance
-for every minute that CPR is delayed, the chance of survival is reduced by nearly 10%
-when bystander CPR is administered, almost half (45%) of victims are able to survive
-if a cardiac arrest victim is shocked with an automated external defibrillator (AED) within the first minute, survival chances increase to 90%
Know what to look for — signs of cardiac arrest include gasping for air or not breathing at all, unresponsiveness, and lack of consciousness. Familiarize yourself with the location of AEDs within facilities such as gyms, swimming pools, schools, and other public institutions. Consider enrolling in a CPR/AED training course — even if you’ve already completed a training, a refresher can make a world of difference!
