February in a Nutshell

Stayin' Alive by Learning CPR During American Heart Month

By Squiggy the Squirrel

I'm a big fan of the TODAY show. I watch it every morning as I brew my hazelnut coffee, catching up on the news and checking the weather. One story recently caught my eye. You probably heard about it, too: A 5-month-old baby became unresponsive while in his aunt's vehicle on a Florida highway. The aunt pulled over, called for help, and performed Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) twice before emergency responders came to assist. Thanks to her quick response and those of the emergency responders, the baby is now in stable condition.

Would you be prepared in such a situation? Only about 30% of Americans feel they would be ready to act during a cardiac emergency by administering CPR. This statistic is rather alarming when paired with another one - 80% of cardiac arrests occur in the home, meaning it's likely that the ones we love may be the ones we need to help. So, in honor of February being American Heart Month, I thought it was a good time to go over some information about Hands-Only CPR (CPR with just chest compressions), which has been proven to be just as effective as mouth-to-mouth CPR in treating adult cardiac arrest victims. 

The use of CPR dates all the way back to 1740, but the majority of Americans don't know how to perform it. CPR can save lives, so it's a great preparedness skill to have. I think this video below does a great job going over the basics, but I encourage you to also sign up for a Red Cross course.

A helpful tip that the TODAY Show hosts, Kathie Lee Gifford and Hoda Kotb, recently learned was that the beat of the Bee Gees' song "Stayin' Alive" has the right beat for Hands-Only CPR. Pretty cool, right?

Share this post with a friend or family member and make a promise to learn CPR together!

xo,

Squiggy