(KNSI) — Learning CPR and how to become CPR certified is getting a lot of attention after Buffalo Bills’ Damar Hamlin went into cardiac arrest during a game.
Cardiologist Dr. Robin Germany also a board member of the American Heart Association Minnesota, says medical emergencies needing CPR can happen any time, anywhere and knowing what to do right away could be the difference between life and death because “every minute that adequate CPR isn’t given, we’re going to lose 10% of patients, and getting CPR to a patient quickly is very important.”
The American Heart Association says the rate of bystander CPR in North America is around 40%, and only about one in ten people survive an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, so having more bystanders who know CPR can boost survival numbers.
Medical staff applied CPR and used a defibrillator on Hamlin after he collapsed on the field. Dr. Germany says if there’s a medical emergency, getting an automatic external defibrillator attached to a patient quickly can make all the difference, and bystanders shouldn’t be afraid to find one and use it because “The nice thing about the AEDs today is, all you have to do is put the patches on. There are really nice instructions – they’ll even talk to you. And they’ll tell you if that patient needs that electrical shock – you don’t have to know anything.”
Find a CPR and first aid training class by clicking here.
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MNC reporter Mike Moen contributed to this story.
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