Cardiac arrest – an electrical malfunction in the heart that causes an irregular heartbeat (arrhythmia) and disrupts the flow of blood to the brain, lungs and other organs – is a leading cause of death.

1. Cardiac arrest – an electrical malfunction in the heart that causes an irregular heartbeat (arrhythmia) and disrupts the flow of blood to the brain, lungs and other organs – is a leading cause of death. Each year, more than 350,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests occur in the United States and Canada.
2. 90-95% of sudden cardiac arrest victims die before reaching the hospital. But, immediate CPR can double a victim’s chance of survival.
3. When someone needs CPR, ANY CPR IS BETTER THAN NO CPR, without it a victim’s chances of survival fall 7-10% every minute they go without CPR and defibrillation.
4. Oxygen rich blood must reach the body’s vital organs within 5 minutes or systems will begin to fail. The chest compressions of CPR can keep the blood moving. During CPR, you should push on the chest at a rate of 100 to 120 compressions per minute. The beat of “Stayin’ Alive” is a perfect match for this.
5. If you are called on to give CPR in an emergency, you will most likely be trying to save the life of someone you love: a child, a spouse, a parent or a friend. 70% of out-of-hospital cardiac arrests happen in homes.
6. Unfortunately, less than 50% of people who experience an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest get the immediate help that they need before professional help arrives.
7. Over 100,000 people a year are saved by CPR in North America.