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March is Heartsaver Month in the Middle East & North Africa (MENA) region, and with cardiac arrest claiming more lives than colorectal cancer, breast cancer, prostate cancer, influenza, pneumonia, auto accidents, HIV, firearms, and house fires combined worldwide, it’s crucial to learn CPR in the event that you find yourself in a lifesaving situation.

Cardiac arrest can occur to anyone at any time – often occurring outside of a hospital, like at home, at work or at play – and the victim may be someone you know or love. Every minute CPR is delayed, a victim’s chance of survival decreases by 10 percent. Immediate CPR from someone nearby can double or even triple that victim’s chance of survival.

Learn the simple steps of Hands-Only CPR to become a lifesaver in the event of a cardiac emergency. Hands-Only CPR is CPR without mouth-to-mouth breaths and is recommended for use by people who see a teen or adult suddenly collapse in an “out-of-hospital” setting. It consists of two easy steps: 1) call 9-1-1 or your local emergency number (or send someone to do that); 2) push hard and fast in the center of the chest.

In addition, global training and awareness programs increase the likelihood of a lay responder being on-hand to provide CPR and treatment using an Automated External Defibrillator (AED). Programs like Connected Pulse use technology to better connect victims and rescuers – both professional and lay responders. This unique end-to-end solution combines education programs to increase awareness of CPR, the use of publicly-available AEDs, and new technologies to strengthen the ‘chain of survival’ from the moment an incident occurs to the patient leaving the hospital.

Connected Pulse emphasizes four critical steps of the chain of survival: 1) alerting emergency medical services; 2) giving CPR to the patient; 3) delivering treatment using an AED; and 4) advanced critical life support, provided by the emergency medical services.

Celebrate Heartsaver Month by finding a CPR training solution that works for you and learn how to save a life.

For more information on CPR, visit international.heart.org. All tools and materials to help plan activities and spread the message can be accessed online in English and Arabic.

 

Susan Brooks is a fitness instructor and elementary and middle school archery and track coach in Shawnee, OK. She has been AHA trained in CPR for 30 years. Susan agreed to be interviewed by the AHA CPR & First Aid Blog to share her own holiday miracle with us this season.

Susan, tell us your story.

It was Thanksgiving Day 2013. My husband, Stephen, our daughter and I were walking out the door when Stephen suddenly told me he didn’t like what I was wearing… which was bizarre. He’d never criticized my clothes before! But, OK, I went to change and was looking for a new outfit when I heard my daughter scream from the living room.

I raced in and found Stephen lying on his side across the hearth. He was having a seizure, and his body was locked-up. I was able to move him to the floor while our daughter called 9-1-1.  Once the seizure ended, I checked his vitals and couldn’t find a pulse; I started to perform Hands-Only CPR.

I performed it for what felt like a long time. I was becoming tired, but kept on as I was trained because my husband’s life depended on it. Eventually, Stephen began to move just as the paramedics entered the house. I stopped compressions, searched for a pulse, and felt a weak one as he began to resume consciousness.

Do you know what caused his heart to stop?

They discovered a brain tumor in the ER. The tumor had caused him to seize, and the seizure is what prompted the heart attack. He was taken for emergency surgery to remove the tumor, which was a success.

And after the surgery?

After he woke up, he claims that his chest was the only thing hurting. “Why does my chest hurt?” He actually asked that! “Because I saved your life!” was my reply….

Stephen spent 10 days in the hospital, and incredibly has not suffered any long-term damage. He’s doing great.

What went through your head at the time this happened?

“I can’t believe I’m doing this in my home on my husband on Thanksgiving.” It was surreal, and honestly very traumatic for our whole family. After the fact, I was able to appreciate in a completely new way all of those years of training that brought me to that exact moment.

What has been the impact on your family?

We’re very appreciative that we still have Stephen with us. My daughter now wants to go to medical school. As for me, working in my job I’ve always expected this kind of situation to happen when we were exercising—not on a holiday just walking out the door.

I cannot say enough how grateful I am for the AHA and its training. Their work developing better processes and procedures and promoting CPR education has saved countless lives, including Stephen’s.

What message would you give others this holiday?

You don’t know what you’re going to encounter in life or when, but CPR gives you the tools you need to save someone when that moment comes. What if I hadn’t known what to do in that moment and Stephen had died?

“This is what CPR means to me. That’s the impact. My husband is the one that I was meant to save.”

 

It was October of 2007 when Christopher Goenner collapsed in front of his colleagues. Chris was only 32 and in seeming perfect health. But Chris’s heart had gone into ventricular tachycardia (VTAC)—an irregular rhythm that prevents the heart from pumping blood to the body.

With Chris unresponsive, his colleagues – fellow paramedics – took immediate action beginning with CPR. Chris’s fatal heart rhythm was quickly identified via cardiac monitor. A manual defibrillator was deployed to shock his heart back into a normal rhythm. Fortunately, only one shock was needed. Chris was quickly stabilized and transported to the hospital.

“When I woke, there were voices around me that hadn’t been there last I remembered. I couldn’t see for a bit as my vision was blurry. That’s how I knew something was wrong,” Chris shared with the CPR & First Aid Blog.

At the hospital, Chris received an internal defibrillator and a pacemaker. Incredibly, because CPR and a defibrillator were deployed within moments of his VTAC, there was no fear of brain damage. Chris was able to leave the hospital after only two nights.

“The important thing to remember in my story is – even though my colleagues are paramedics – the actions they took for me that day are all the same things that a bystander could do,” he said. “These are the same things that I would teach my students in an AHA Heartsaver class.”

Today, Chris is serving as a program director at Central Piedmont Community College, in Charlotte, NC. He teaches the American Heart Association’s BLS, ACLS, Heartsaver, Friends & Family CPR and other AHA programs. Even better, his experience helps him connect with his students. He uses his personal story on the first day of each class to help drive home the importance of CPR and other lifesaving skills.

“The stuff I teach in my classes would have saved my life, no matter who had performed them,” he concluded. “The value of the public learning CPR is everything. I could have been anywhere… in my neighborhood or in the park. I could have collapsed any place, and bystander knowledge is the only thing that would make a difference.

This is why I teach with the American Heart Association. EMTs and Paramedics are able to provide advanced care, but we wouldn’t have the opportunity to perform that care without bystanders on the scene having the training and taking action with CPR to circulate the blood and oxygen in a victim’s body. My story may be unique because I’m both a lifesaver and a survivor, but I’m no different than anyone else who is still here because of the quick actions of those who just happened to be around when I needed them.”

Demetria Cameron is a project coordinator with the American Heart Association’s ECC Global Marketing team. She is based in Dallas, TX.

The evening of Friday, August 31^st, 2018 is one that I will never forget. I had taken my son to our local barbershop for a haircut. Considering we usually go on Saturdays, I believe this little change in our routine was divine placement. Because just minutes after taking a seat in the waiting area, the stranger sitting next to me had a seizure. I’d later learn her name is Jenetria.

As Jenetria’s body began to seize, the barbers rushed over and gently placed her on her side to help her breathe, cradling her head so it wouldn’t hit the floor. When the seizure stopped, I stood by carefully watching her for a response. Jenetria began gasping, however, others thought she was safe, that she was breathing. Thankfully, because of my Heartsaver training as an Association employee, I could tell the difference.

“She’s not breathing, she’s gasping!” I yelled. Suddenly, she stopped gasping and become unresponsive. I instructed for her to be laid on her back and for everyone to clear some space. One of the barbers was already on the phone with 9-1-1 and updating the situation to the dispatcher in real time. I lifted Jenetria’s shirt and immediately began Hands Only CPR compressions. I continued compressions until the paramedics arrived and took over. Once stabilized, Jenetria was rushed to the hospital.

At the hospital, the doctors discovered that Jenetria was seven months pregnant and required an emergency c-section to save the baby! Baby Josiah was born that night, two months premature and also needing an emergency procedure due to two holes found in his heart. Incredibly, now six weeks later both mom and baby are strong, healthy and doing just fine. The doctors and nurses are calling it a miracle, and I agree!

Because of their quick actions, the barbers of the Omega Cut Barbershop, Anthony O’Neal and Albert Edmondson, received Heartsaver Hero awards. They not only helped to save one life but two—and so did I!

As a member of the American Heart Association team, I’ve always understood the value of CPR. Everyone on our team receives training, even though you honestly never believe that you will have to use it. But when that moment suddenly presents itself, the value of knowing CPR becomes priceless. To be able to know what to do, and be prepared makes me appreciate the importance of CPR in a whole new way.

I’m so grateful that I work with the Association because the quality is like no other. AHA CPR training courses give you clear details and exact information so that you know exactly what to do and when. Everyone desires high-quality things; clothes, food, etc. CPR should be the same way.

This blog is authored by Hayley Meyer, a nursing assistant at the Medical University of South Carolina. Below is her story of how she and her family saved her mom, Pauline, during the scariest night of their lives.   

It was the night of November 15, 2016, nine days before Thanksgiving—a time when families gather to celebrate their blessings.

I was asleep when my dad burst into my room at 3:00 AM. He was panicked, and the tone of his voice has such an urgency that I immediately awoke.

Dad was yelling something about mom and to call 9-1-1. My heart started pounding. My hands shook. I wanted to know what was going on, so I followed dad back to my parents’ bedroom.

As I walked into their room, dad was next to mom performing CPR. Her body was blue and stiff. Suddenly, I felt like I wasn’t even there. It was like I was looking from the outside, and it wasn’t real. The voice on the phone was asking, “What is your emergency?” I couldn’t talk.

I handed the phone to my dad… and then instinct took over.

As my father spoke to 9-1-1, my body went on autopilot. I began performing Hands-Only CPR, to which I was first introduced during a high school emergency responder class. Throughout college, I maintained my training as part of my sports medicine studies. I never thought I’d actually need to use CPR.

Altogether, mom received a full 10 minutes of CPR before first responders arrived to take over. At the hospital, she was placed in an induced coma. My family clung to hope.

Five days later, my dad answered his phone to the most beautiful words he’d ever heard. A nurse had held up her phone so my mom could speak: “Honey, are you on your way?” I could barely understand my dad as he called me running through the hospital, shouting, “Mom’s awake!” I’ve never been so happy. Mom came home to us after nine days in the hospital on November 23^rd—the day before Thanksgiving.

We still don’t know the exact cause of my mom’s cardiac arrest. Her only symptom was that she sat up in bed coughing, which is what had woken my dad at that hour. To this day I’m still in disbelief that it all happened as it did.

Since the incident, my family has been dedicated to spreading the word of CPR. We’ve worked with the American Heart Association to promote our local Heart Walk, and my mom has become a member of the Association’s Early Cardiovascular Care Committee.

My final message to everyone is this:

Don’t think you don’t need the training because you doubt you could save someone’s life. I never thought I would actually ever use CPR, and then I used it to save my own mom. It’s incredible that the impetus to save her life started with a one-day class I took when I was 17.

Learn CPR: not just one member of the family but every member. It’s that important.

 

 

Stephanie Lentell is a mom of four living in Port Orchard, Washington. Knowing CPR became a matter of life or death when her son, Michael, collapsed from cardiac arrest. Here she recounts her story — and proudly shows off her Heartsaver course completion cards, which she wants all of her friends and family to have, too.

On November 26, 2017, I lived every parent’s nightmare. I was asleep in bed when I woke to the sound of my husband Brion’s voice in the hall; it was concerned and panicked. “Michael, come on buddy. Wake up.” I went out to check if everything was okay, only to see my husband holding the limp and unresponsive body of our four-year-old son.

Michael’s face was grey. He was taking a single breath every 10-15 seconds. He would not wake. Brion called 9-1-1, and I began CPR. I continued until EMS arrived and took over, moving at an incredible speed. Michael had no pulse. A shot of epinephrine was delivered to his heart, without effect. It took a shock from an AED to finally restore his heartbeat.

Within minutes, Michael was intubated and bagged, stabilized for transport, loaded into the ambulance and whisked to Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital. Brion and I looked on in a whirlwind of emotion, watching our little boy cling to life.

Michael had experienced cardiac arrest. He was only four, and his heart had stopped. At the hospital, he was placed on life support as the doctors looked for a cause. The next day, our Miracle Michael awoke, asking for “mommy” and “juice.” Incredibly, he was going to be OK.

EKG results finally gave the doctors a lead on Michael’s condition: Long QT Syndrome (LQTS). What this means, they explained, is that the time it takes for his heart to re-polarize after pumping is too long. The difference is milliseconds, but the effects can be fatal. As one of the Sudden Arrhythmic Death Syndromes (SADS), the first symptoms of LQTS are often fainting and sudden death from cardiac arrest.

Michael spent 18 days in the hospital and underwent surgery to have an Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator (ICD) placed, which will shock his heart should it go into an arrhythmia.

Miracle Michael is home now, with a lifelong journey ahead of him. He will have to live with limitations other children won’t have, and our family will have to adjust to this new normal. But he is STILL HERE. This could have ended so differently.

CPR saved Michael’s life. CPR kept his heart pumping until EMS arrived and was able to resuscitate him.

I’m sharing our story in hopes to not only bring awareness of SADS, but to also bring awareness to the absolute necessity of being trained in CPR. I first learned CPR in a class in high school, and since November I have helped more than 50 of my family and friends learn CPR through the American Heart Association. I am now working with our local school board to schedule training for our public school teachers as well as completing a CPR Instructor course.

Every person needs to learn CPR. I was able to save my own son’s life because of it. You may never need it, but if the moment ever comes where you do it will mean everything.

This blog is authored by Danielle Cortes DeVito, who is a paramedic, National CPR instructor and a tireless advocate for CPR.

As a paramedic, I’ve seen firsthand how CPR performed by a bystander can help save the life of a cardiac arrest victim before I arrive at the scene to provide professional help. However, many Americans still don’t perform CPR because they don’t know how to perform the skill or they’re afraid they might hurt the person.

But through the American Heart Association’s Hands-Only CPR training kiosks, I’m encouraged by how these innovative devices are steadily creating a nation of lifesavers who can spring into action if they see a person suffer a cardiac emergency. This week, AHA announced that more than 100,000 people have been trained in Hands-Only CPR through its kiosks. The organization started installing them in 2016 primarily in select U.S. airports thanks to the national support of Anthem Foundation.

This training milestone of 100,000 is incredible and fills me with pride because I was at Chicago O’Hare International Airport where AHA formally launched the kiosk program in Feb. 2016. Since then, it’s been amazing to see how the program has expanded to 29 other locations throughout the U.S. and trained so many people who are now empowered to save a life.

I’ve used the interactive kiosk on many occasions. I can attest to how this device makes it easy to learn Hands-Only CPR and helps the public gain a comfort level with performing the skill. Each kiosk has a touch screen that shows a short instructional video, followed by a practice session and a 30-second test. With the help of a practice manikin, the kiosk gives precise training feedback about the depth and rate of compressions — factors that influence the effectiveness of CPR. The entire training takes about five minutes.

Cardiac arrests occur when the heart suddenly stops beating. Every second counts in this type of cardiac emergency, which is why bystander CPR is so critical until emergency responders arrive. Hands-Only CPR has two easy steps. First, call 9-1-1 and then, push hard and fast in the center of the chest until professional help arrives.

However, less than half of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest victims receive help from a bystander. Each year, more than 350,000 cardiac arrests occur outside of the hospital, and about 90 percent die. CPR, especially if performed immediately, can double or triple a cardiac arrest victim’s chance of survival, according to the AHA.

Consider this last statistic: about 70 percent of out-of-hospital cardiac arrests occur in homes. I encourage you to get trained in Hands-Only CPR because you’ll most likely be trying to save the life of someone you love or know if you’re called on to give CPR in an emergency. The kiosks make it easy to learn a life-saving skill. When people can perform chest compressions without the stress of an actual medical emergency, our community benefits. The kiosks help strengthen the chain of survival.

This blog is authored by Stacey Hittle, a hospital Medical Intensive Care Unit and Critical Care registered nurse. Even though she is familiar with CPR, she never expected to learn about its value in such a personal way. Below is her story.   

 It was February 24, 2017, and my husband, David, and I were both at work. It was a day like any other. Our 15-year-old son, Justin, was at home with our other kids and a friend. The kids were in the backyard playing with a lacrosse ball. Completely normal.

What happened next was, in essence, a “perfect storm.” It turns out that Justin suffered commotio cordis, or cardiac arrest caused by a blunt impact to the chest. It is exceedingly rare, with only about 10 to 20 cases a year. It was almost always fatal until recently, when resuscitation has worked in up to one-third of cases. Essentially, my son’s heart just stopped. No pulse, no heartbeat. Nothing.

The chances of this happening are less than those of being struck by lightning.

Thankfully, the other children acted immediately instead of freezing in fear. His friend called 9-1-1 while my daughter called my husband. That second call proved fateful, as my husband was able to get in touch with a neighbor who ran over and started CPR. That CPR kept blood circulating to Justin’s vital organs until first responders arrived.

The paramedics were quickly able to shock Justin’s heartbeat rhythm back to normal. But he suffered complications, and he was admitted to the hospital for acute respiratory distress syndrome caused by a collapsed lung. His body couldn’t oxygenate as it needed to, even with a ventilator. The doctors had to insert chest tubes to re-inflate his lungs and aid his breathing.

In total, Justin was in the hospital for 10 days, and he has now made a full recovery.

Since then, I’ve found myself changed as a parent. There is more worry now. This was such a freak incident that it feels like anything can happen to the kids. So, we’re doing what we can to be proactive.

Earlier this year, Justin took part in a community education event with our fire department teaching Hands-Only CPR to the public. At least 100 participants showed up, and Justin shared his story as the face of why CPR is so important. At a local university where I work as a nurse lecturer, I’ve volunteered to join the CPR and AED first aid training orientation for incoming freshman.

David and I feel very fortunate to still have our son with us. If the kids didn’t know to call 9-1-1, he wouldn’t be here. If our neighbor didn’t know CPR, Justin wouldn’t be here.

I encourage everyone to take the time to learn CPR. You could save a life – maybe the life of someone you love.

Cardiac arrest often comes without warning. Everything will be normal right up until the point it isn’t. You have to know what to do.

Interested in more information on Hands-Only CPR? Sign up for our new eNewsletter!

A Message for Others from Bruce Richardson

“You never know when you have heart disease. One of the first symptoms of heart disease is death. So, I challenge everyone to make sure that your physical heart is in good shape – live healthy and see your doctor – and also make sure that your ‘personal heart’ is in good shape. There are no do-overs, so always make sure your heart is in the right place.”

Bruce’s Story

“I was dead for 67 minutes. It’s a miracle that I’m here today.” Those are the words of Bruce Richardson, who survived a cardiac arrest in July 2016 thanks to the quick actions of his friends and the first responders who refused to give up.

It was an early summer morning, a typical Saturday. Bruce woke as usual for his men’s prayer group at his community church.

“I had no symptoms whatsoever that there was any problem or that I was about to experience a life-changing event. It was a completely normal morning; I felt fine,” he shared. “I was visiting with friends before class began. Then, I passed out. What happened next I know from what others have told me.”

Bruce’s friend, Jack, had learned how to perform CPR in the U.S. military, and he quickly began chest compressions. Another friend, Doug, dialed 9-1-1 and the operator walked him through compressions until first responders arrived. The quick actions of Jack, Doug, and the 9-1-1 operator unquestionably saved Bruce’s life.

Once the ambulance arrived, the paramedics tried five times to restart Bruce’s heart with an AED. By this time, Bruce had been without a heartbeat for more than 30 minutes, often when time of death is called. On the phone with an emergency room doctor, one of the paramedics was instructed to try two AEDs simultaneously—a practice supported by emerging research. It worked; Bruce’s heart began to beat again, though he would suffer a second arrest on the way to the hospital where he would undergo emergency surgery.

Incredibly, he awoke the next day and was able to communicate. Despite early fears that he would suffer brain damage, Bruce made a full recovery and left the hospital after a week.

Spreading the Word

Since Bruce’s cardiac arrest, he has since been able to resume a normal life… with some differences. He now is a passionate CPR advocate. His church – where he suffered the arrest – has purchased two AEDs and trained staff and congregants in how to use them. Bruce has shared his story in the news, and last year he was a guest speaker at the Association’s Indianapolis Heart & Stroke Ball to encourage people to spread the message of CPR.

Finally, Bruce shared his story in a video now being used to promote American Heart Association Hands-Only CPR kiosks installed around the country.

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Interested in trying out a Hands-Only CPR kiosk? Visit our kiosk landing page for more information, or check out our CPR Anytime page for at-home training kit options.

It was a normal, quiet Sunday afternoon. Paul Minton had been to church and filled his car with gas, and he was in his way to meet his son for lunch when he opted to stop into Target for a few quick items. He recalls walking into the store… and then nothing. The rest of the day is gone, because Minton had collapsed in cardiac arrest. The events of that day, and his life, were suddenly in the hands of strangers.

“I don’t recall anything about the incident. But what I’m told is that I walked in and – as soon as I had crossed through the doors – I fell over. No warning or call for help; I just collapsed,” shares Minton. “People nearby circled around, but no one knew how to help. That’s when Riley jumped in and saved my life.”

Riley Hinman was a 16-year old who had happened to stop into Target for a quick errand. Fortunately for Paul, Riley had recently learned Hands-Only CPR in a babysitting class and knew what to do. She had a bystander call 9-1-1 and the store manager use the intercom system to radio for additional CPR help as she started chest compressions. As she worked, a fellow shopper ran to the scene—Dr. Tiffany Elliott, an emergency room trauma physician who had heard the manager’s call. Together, they worked to keep oxygenated blood circulating to Paul’s vital organs until first responders arrived.

Since the incident and his full recovery, Minton hasn’t taken his second chance for granted, jumping in with the As the Director of Operations for BC Clark Jewelers in Oklahoma City, he has used his position to raise awareness both at his company – which has hosted two staff CPR trainings to date – and among the public via a fundraiser where BC Clark matched $25,000 in donations to promote the Oklahoma American Heart Association’s CPR in Schools program.

“Kids don’t think twice before they take action,” explains Minton when asked about the importance of CPR in Schools. “As I understand it, in Oklahoma your chance of survival and recovery from an attack like mine is only 7%, whereas in a city like Seattle where public school students have learned CPR for a long time, your survival rate is more than 60%. It’s very important! In my case, you had adults standing around who didn’t know what to do. Riley had been trained, and she just went to work.

“If I could say one thing to Riley now? Well, thank you just doesn’t seem to be adequate. She was an angel to my rescue. Personally, I believe that God has a plan for me, and that plan is to help advance the message of CPR education and training. God may have some other things in mind too, but I know that’s partly why I’m still here today.”

Are you interested in hosting a Hands-Only CPR training in your community? Contact a Community CPR Manager in your area for more information.