CPR crucial skill to know

Sarah Gonzalez does not remember the seizure. She has no memory of the moment when she almost died.
“I wasn’t conscious, I wasn’t breathing,” Gonzalez said.
Gonzalez had two very fortunate things on her side that day: her husband Nick was there and he knew how to perform CPR.
Nick pulled her out of the chair, lay her on the floor and immediately began pumping her chest while her oldest son, Layne, now 18, called 911.
“If my husband hadn’t known CPR, I probably wouldn’t be here because it took a while for the ambulance to get there,” Gonzalez said.

ACCORDING TO the American Heart Association, an overwhelming majority of cardiac arrests — 88 percent — happen at home, but 70 percent of Americans either do not know how to do CPR or their training has lapsed. This leaves the majority vulnerable in the event of an emergency.
“When I instruct people, I tell them they are more likely to use CPR on a family member than a stranger,” said Eric Lawrence, Iola firefighter/EMT.
Lawrence has worked for the city for about 15 years, switching roles from police officer to firefighter about two years ago. Lawrence said he has performed CPR five or six times since joining the fire department. He estimates the number of medical calls they receive per month that require CPR is one or two.
“Unfortunately, it’s a lot more frequent than you’d want to believe,” Lawrence said.
While first responders try to respond as quickly as possible to emergencies, precious minutes are still lost and for someone who needs CPR, every second counts. If someone’s heart stops beating, brain damage can occur within minutes, according to the National Institutes of Health.
Lawrence mostly instructs Iola city employees. Classes are also held upon request, usually by an employer who wants employees to be certified. Currently, there are no regular classes offered to the public through the fire department or EMS, but there has been some discussion about setting up a structured class schedule if demand warrants.
“We’re trying to broaden our availability to the community,” Lawrence said. “We want to do everything we can for our community and citizens of Allen County to remain safe in their homes.”
Lawrence took his first CPR class in high school. He remembered how easy it seemed as he practiced on the mannequin. The first time he had to perform CPR in real life, however, was a very different experience.
“Five minutes felt like five hours,” he said.

ONE ISSUE is that people believe the risk of having a cardiac event is low in a younger family, so they do not see CPR training as necessary. However, cardiac arrest can happen to anyone at any age. One of the more common causes of cardiac arrest is choking.
“Children are very high risk, especially toddlers because they put things in their mouth,” said Lisa Griffith, RN and Emergency Department Manager for Allen County Regional Hospital.
Trauma, drowning, electrocution and drug overdose are also causes of cardiac arrest, according to John Hopkins School of Medicine.
“The faster you start CPR, the better the outcome,” Griffith said. She also stressed certification to ensure CPR is done correctly.
Griffith said the hospital offers classes for $25 per person. The class typically takes one to three hours long, depending on the class size, but smaller classes are preferred for more one-on-one time with the instructor. Training must be done every two years to maintain certification.
CPR techniques have changed in recent years. Instead of mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, the American Heart Association recommends only using the hands to pump the heart. This change was made because people usually still have enough air in their bodies, but need the blood pumping for it to work. Also, it is easier for people to focus on just one task — pumping the heart —than to worry about multiple tasks in an emergency. Learning the Heimlich Maneuver to help people who are choking is also part of the training.
“It’s pretty easy to take an hour of your time [to learn CPR] if it can save somebody’s life,” Griffith said. “It’s definitely worth an hour of my time to teach you.”

GONZALEZ, Humboldt, was fortunate that her husband knew CPR, but if he had not been home that day, her children would have stepped in. They all received CPR training in school.
“All of our freshmen did it last year,” said Wendy Froggatte, USD 258 nurse. “You never know when someone might need it.”
The Humboldt school district has offered CPR training to students for several years now and also makes sure all staff are trained and certified in both CPR and the use of automated external defibrillators, or =. These devices, which use a jolt of electricity to start someone’s heart, can be found in many public places, including airports and many schools. Humboldt High School has three.
Froggatte said many students enjoyed learning CPR, and it was wonderful to see them take ownership in learning a life skill.
Froggatte said some people don’t take action when someone needs CPR because they worry about liability — getting sued if they fail or hurt the person unintentionally.
“Even if they don’t do it exactly right, doing the action of pumping the heart can help,” Froggatte said.
Griffith agreed, adding that some people hold back for fear of hurting the person, especially if that person is elderly.
“Any attempt is better than no attempt,” she said.