CPR/AED Awareness Week: The Basics of How to Perform CPR and Use an AED

By Hailie Duenkel, Volunteer

June 1st – 7th is National CPR and AED Awareness Week. 

The Red Cross offers CPR training and AED course options for schools, employees, healthcare providers, and individuals both weekdays and weekends. Whatever class you decide to take, you can be confident you will leave the certification class feeling confident to accomplish life-saving resuscitation methods when someone goes into cardiac arrest.

CPR Training
CPR (Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation) is an emergency process performed when someone’s heart stops beating. Performing CPR can triple the chances of the victim’s survival. Here are some basic concepts you will experience in a training course:

• Call 911 and ensure the area is safe for you to approach the victim.
• Check for breathing and tilt their head back to clear the airway.
• If the person is not breathing, begin performing CPR:
• Place your hands one on top of the other in the middle of the chest.
• Push at a hard, fast past with a compression of about 2 inches deep.
• Distribute 2 rescue breaths. 
• Continue these steps until the person starts breathing or until a trained medical responder arrives.

*Steps are different for a child or infant and are described here.

AED Training
When CPR is proving ineffective, an AED (Automated External Defibrillator) can be used to resuscitate victims when they go into cardiac arrest. An electric shock is sent to the heart to resume a heartbeat. An AED device can often be found in most offices and public buildings and having the certification to use one can prove detrimental in emergency situations. Below are steps in using an AED machine:

• Turn on the AED machine and follow the audio commands. (The machine will tell you step-by-step instructions on what to do!)
• Place AED pads on the victim’s bare chest where the machine indicates.
• Ensure you and anyone else present are not touching the victim.
• Press the “analyze” button for the machine to analyze the person’s heart.
• If a shock is needed, the machine will tell you. Then press the “shock” button.
• Begin CPR after the shock is delivered.

The best way to deal with an emergency is to prepare for it. With topnotch instructors and recognized online courses, you can be certain you will receive the best training to keep you on your toes in a crisis situation. Go online to sign up for a CPR or AED training course so next time you can do more than just call 911. You can save a life.