35,000 to 45,000 people die of sudden cardiac arrest each year in Canada, making it the second leading cause of death in the country. Unfortunately, 90% of people who have a cardiac arrest or stroke outside the hospital die.

Luckily, cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) can improve these odds, increasing the chances of survival by two to three times. Therefore, we’ve seen a prevalence of CPR courses as millions of people in Canada are seeking training to perform CPR.

Here’s a brief insight on what a CPR is and what’s the science behind it:

What is CPR?

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is an emergency first aid protocol performed on a person experiencing cardiac arrest who is having trouble breathing. When the heart stops pumping blood, the brain is starved of oxygen, which can lead to permanent brain damage in 4–6 minutes.

There’s only a brief window of opportunity to perform CPR, so medical responders can arrive and attempt to restart the heart to avoid permanent brain damage. The procedure can be performed by an emergency or medical professional as well as anyone who’s trained to perform CPR.

The biology behind CPR—How does it work?

Let’s make it brief. Humans breathe air which travels to our lungs. Now, the lungs are where oxygen is picked up by our blood.

However, it’s the responsibility of the heart is to deliver oxygen to our organs and tissues. When a person has a cardiac arrest, the heart goes from a normal beat to ventricular fibrillation, like an arrhythmic pattern, and eventually stops beating.

At that point, CPR can play an instrumental role in saving a life. The main purpose of performing CPR is to maintain a trickle of oxygenated blood to the brain and the heart to avoid permanent brain damage, as mentioned earlier.

CPR consists of two parts: pattern of chest compression (artificial blood circulation) and rescue breaths (lung ventilation). In essence, CPR serves as an artificial heartbeat and an artificial respirator. It’s in the name: Cardio (heart) Pulmonary (lung) Resuscitation (revive).

You don’t have to superpowers to save lives. Learning how to perform CPR can help you to potentially save the lives of your loved ones.

Metro Safety Training offers Emergency First Aid with Red Cross CPR/AED Level C that will teach you how to successfully perform a CPR.

So if you’re looking for quality CPR training courses in British Columbia, get in touch with Metro Safety Training today by calling them at 604-521-4227.