Facility’s no-CPR policy takes heat after woman’s death

USA TODAY, Janice Lloyd
March 4, 2013

The death of an 87-year-old woman who did not receive CPR in her central California retirement community was a tragedy waiting to happen, long-term care housing experts say.

A nurse at Glenwood Gardens in Bakersfield, Calif., refused to give Lorraine Bayless CPR after she collapsed last Tuesday in the dining room and was barely breathing. The nurse called 911 for help, saying it was against the facility’s policy for staff to give CPR.

“It’s a human being,” dispatcher Tracey Halvorson says on a 911 tape released Sunday by the Bakersfield Fire Department. It was aired by many media outlets Monday.

“Is there anybody that’s willing to help this lady and not let her die?”

“Um, not at this time,” the nurse said. Bayless was declared dead at Mercy Southwest Hospital later Tuesday.

“I was appalled to hear of a policy at a facility that will not give CPR,” says Robyn Grant, director of public relations and advocacy for The National Consumer Voice for Quality Longterm Care. “Who knew? I guess this has never come up before, but it will from now on. It’s an incredible tragedy.”

KGET-TV says Bayless’ daughter told the station she is a nurse and was “satisfied with Glenwood’s handling of the situation.” It said she had no “do not resuscitate” order on file.
The executive director of Glenwood Gardens, Jeffrey Toomer, defended the nurse’s actions, saying she did indeed follow policy.

“In the event of a health emergency at this independent living community our practice is to immediately call emergency medical personnel for assistance and to wait with the individual needing attention until such personnel arrives,” Toomer said in a written statement. “That is the protocol we followed.”

Toomer told KGET that residents of the home’s independent living community are informed of the “no-CPR” policy and agree to it when they move in.

The policy does not apply at the adjacent assisted living and skilled nursing facilities. Those residents would have received CPR in identical circumstances. Glenwood Gardens’ website says Brookdale facilities are listed among the top 2012 choices for senior living and nursing homes, on lists by CNN and U.S. News & World Report.

“This speaks to the fact that consumers have to be extremely vigilant when selecting independent living and assisted living care,” Grant says. “It’s really hard when you’re looking for care and reading these contracts to understand every word. We suggest people take them to an attorney to understand the responsibilities of the facilities.”

Not all facilities have the same policy, however. At Erickson Living, an effort would have been made to save Bayless, says Dan Dunne, director of communications for the company, which has retirement facilities in nine states.

“All of our communities have first responders who are trained to provide emergency care, including CPR whenever and wherever necessary,” he says.

Grant questions the facility’s response when the dispatcher is heard on the tape pleading with the nurse to find someone to do CPR.

“I hate to judge anyone who might be worried about losing a job in this economy,” Grant says, “but you’d really hope human decency would stand above policy.”
In the tape, the nurse could be heard talking to someone else at the facility.
“She’s yelling at me,” she said of dispatcher Halvorson, “and saying we have to have one of our residents perform CPR. I’m feeling stressed, and I’m not going to do that, make that call.”

When Halvorson asked the nurse if she was going to let the woman die, the nurse said, “That’s why we called 911.”

Knowing and administering CPR could have saved her life.

6 Ways Healthcare Workers Can Beat Burn-Out

TAKE IT OUT
Get your fears and frustrations off your chest. In a word, talk. Talk to your friends. Talk to your family. If needed, talk to a professional, or ask if your employer provides a therapist for employees who are going through a rough patch. Expressing your feelings will help you get to the route of your problem. There may be a deep-seeded issue that you aren’t aware of yet, and a licensed therapist can help you delve into the problems you are having.

Remember to talk to the right people. Patients and clients don’t need to hear that you are doubting your career choices, and co-workers don’t need to know that you can’t stand your boss. However, sharing generalized frustrations with your peers can be very helpful. Maybe your co-workers are experiencing similar feelings, or they may be able to give you advice if they have dealt with the same issues previously.

Bottling up your feelings only creates more pressure, and a healthcare worker under pressure is likely to explode.

RECHARGE AT A RETREAT
The growing acceptance of burnout in the healthcare industry has led to the development of numerous retreats and camps designed specifically for healthcare professionals. There are retreats for any and all healthcare workers, as well as get-aways only open to those holding certain titles. Typically located in relaxing rural settings, retreats encourage healthcare workers to recharge in the company of their peers. Many retreats feature fun activities such as rock-climbing, meditation, and horseback riding along with time to talk our your issues with professionals.

Retreats can last from one weekend to a number of weeks, so there is no need to stress about taking time off. If there isn’t a retreat in your area, consider starting one of your own with your co-workers. Not only will this give you a chance to get outdoors and relax, you will also bond with one another and strengthen your connection to the people who make your place of employment so great.

CREATE A STRESS-FREE ZONE
If taking time off work doesn’t fit in your busy schedule, consider creating a “Stress-Free Zone” at work. This can be an entire room or maybe just a corner of the cafeteria. Put up a sign declaring that area “Stress-Free” and add to the atmosphere by including fresh flowers, yummy food, or peaceful photographs. Anyone can visit the “Stress-Free” zone, but there is a catch: You are not allowed to stress out in the “Stress-Free Zone”! If an employee wants to vent, let them go somewhere else. You can vent anywhere, so make the “Stress-Free Zone” a place people want to come to relax.

Some places go as far as to create employee lounges with massage chairs, hot tea, and soft music. Employee happiness is becoming important to employers, knowing that job satisfaction relates to job performance, so even if your boss turns down the idea of personal massage chairs, he/she might be able to create a room for your “Stress-Free Zone.”

LEARN TO SAY NO
You got into healthcare because you have a passion to care for others, so you probably find it difficult to turn someone down when they ask for a favor, no matter how big. However, if you can’t say “No,” you are going to end up feeling burned out – fast. Be polite and honest when you tell someone “No.” A colleague may ask you to check in on a patient for them or swap shifts with you, but if you are already feeling overwhelmed, a extra task, even if it’s small, could push you over the edge. Tell your co-worker that you would, but you have a lot on your plate today. If your spouse asks you to pick up dinner on the way home after you’ve had an exhausting 12-hour shift, let him/her know that you are tired and really just need to get home – maybe he/she could have a pizza delivered?
Learning to say “No” at work at and at home isn’t a bad thing. It doesn’t mean you aren’t a good person or that you don’t care. And we both know that you won’t decline every time.

DEVELOP A CAREER PLAN
Whether you have been in your job for 10 year or 10 months, it’s important to have a plan for where you are going. Are you looking to move up with the employer you already have? Or do your goals involve changing jobs in order to advance? These questions can stress anyone out, and if you aren’t sure what you want, you can easily get burned out by getting stuck in a job your aren’t thrilled about. Healthcare workers who feel trapped in their jobs often feel burnout at a greater rate than those who have goals of advancing.

Write out a career plan for yourself – this may involve getting certified, trying for a promotion, or going back to school to further your education. Having a plan will help your look forward to your future, especially if you are at a not-so-great job. If you are at a job you love, but you are beginning to feel burned out, a career plan can help you see what it is that made you love the job in the first place and give you a path toward advancement.

NURTURE RELATIONSHIPS
The stresses and strains of working in the healthcare industry can take their toll on even the strongest personality. From persistent patients to strict regulations, healthcare workers are constantly facing challenges both big and small, physical and emotional. At some point, it is more than likely that the pressures of your job will get to you and you will wonder, “Is it worth it?” Burnout can get the best of you, but only if you let it.

You may have a patient you see once a week, or once a month. Get to know him/her as a person and not just a client. Patients want to be treated like people and not numbers, so the effort you make will not only help you, but also make the patient feel good about their experience.

Public Safety Education Group provides training for CPR, First Aid, Low Stress ACLS, OSHA, Bloodborne and HIV/AIDS. Individual Classes as well as Groups of 7 or more. Contact us today to schedule your class: 407-409-4CPR (4277)

 

 

Unintentional Drowning: Get the Facts

• From 2005-2009, there were an average of 3,533 fatal unintentional drownings (non-boating related) annually in the United States — about ten deaths per day. An additional 347 people died each year from drowning in boating-related incidents.
• About one in five people who die from drowning are children 14 and younger. For every child who dies from drowning, another five receive emergency department care for nonfatal submersion injuries.
• More than 50% of drowning victims treated in emergency departments (EDs) require hospitalization or transfer for further care (compared with a hospitalization rate of about 6% for all unintentional injuries). These nonfatal drowning injuries can cause severe brain damage that may result in long-term disabilities such as memory problems, learning disabilities, and permanent loss of basic functioning (e.g., permanent vegetative state).

• Males: Nearly 80% of people who die from drowning are male.
• Children: Children ages 1 to 4 have the highest drowning rates. In 2009, among children 1 to 4 years old who died from an unintentional injury, more than 30% died from drowning. Among children ages 1 to 4, most drownings occur in home swimming pools. Drowning is responsible for more deaths among children 1-4 than any other cause except congenital anomalies (birth defects). Among those 1-14, fatal drowning remains the second-leading cause of unintentional injury-related death behind motor vehicle crashes.
• Minorities: Between 2005 and 2009, the fatal unintentional drowning rate for African Americans was significantly higher than that of whites across all ages. The disparity is widest among children 5-14 years old. The fatal drowning rate of African American children ages 5 to 14 is almost three times that of white children in the same age range. The disparity is most pronounced in swimming pools; African American children 5-19 drown in swimming pools at rates 5.5 times higher than those of whites. This disparity is greatest among those 11-12 years where African Americans drown in swimming pools at rates 10 times those of whites.5

Factors such as access to swimming pools, the desire or lack of desire to learn how to swim, and choosing water-related recreational activities may contribute to the racial differences in drowning rates. Available rates are based on population, not on participation. If rates could be determined by actual participation in water-related activities, the disparity in minorities’ drowning rates compared to whites would be much greater.

The main factors that affect drowning risk are lack of swimming ability, lack of barriers to prevent unsupervised water access, lack of close supervision while swimming, location, failure to wear life jackets, alcohol use, and seizure disorders.
• Lack of Swimming Ability: Many adults and children report that they can’t swim. Research has shown that participation in formal swimming lessons can reduce the risk of drowning among children aged 1 to 4 years.
• Lack of Barriers: Barriers, such as pool fencing, prevent young children from gaining access to the pool area without caregivers’ awareness. A four-sided isolation fence (separating the pool area from the house and yard) reduces a child’s risk of drowning 83% compared to three-sided property-line fencing.
• Lack of Close Supervision: Drowning can happen quickly and quietly anywhere there is water (such as bathtubs, swimming pools, buckets), and even in the presence of lifeguards.
• Location: People of different ages drown in different locations. For example, most children ages 1-4 drown in home swimming pools. The percentage of drownings in natural water settings, including lakes, rivers and oceans, increases with age. More than half of fatal and nonfatal drownings among those 15 years and older (57% and 57% respectively) occurred in natural water settings.
• Failure to Wear Life Jackets: In 2010, the U.S. Coast Guard received reports for 4,604 boating incidents; 3,153 boaters were reported injured, and 672 died. Most (72%) boating deaths that occurred during 2010 were caused by drowning, with 88% of victims not wearing life jackets.
• Alcohol Use: Among adolescents and adults, alcohol use is involved in up to 70% of deaths associated with water recreation, almost a quarter of ED visits for drowning, and about one in five reported boating deaths. Alcohol influences balance, coordination, and judgment, and its effects are heightened by sun exposure and heat.
• Seizure Disorders: For persons with seizure disorders, drowning is the most common cause of unintentional injury death, with the bathtub as the site of highest drowning risk.

 

• Swimming skills help. Taking part in in formal swimming lessons reduces the risk of drowning among children aged 1 to 4 years. However, many people don’t have basic swimming skills. A CDC study7 about self-reported swimming ability found that:
o Younger adults reported greater swimming ability than older adults.
o Self-reported ability increased with level of education.
o Among racial groups, African Americans reported the most limited swimming ability.
o Men of all ages, races, and educational levels consistently reported greater swimming ability than women.
• Seconds count—learn CPR. CPR performed by bystanders has been shown to save lives and improve outcomes in drowning victims. The more quickly CPR is started, the better the chance of improved outcomes.
• Life jackets can reduce risk. Potentially, half of all boating deaths might be prevented with the use of life jackets.

 

• Supervise When in or Around Water. Designate a responsible adult to watch young children while in the bath and all children swimming or playing in or around water. Supervisors of preschool children should provide “touch supervision”, be close enough to reach the child at all times. Because drowning occurs quickly and quietly, adults should not be involved in any other distracting activity (such as reading, playing cards, talking on the phone, or mowing the lawn) while supervising children, even if lifeguards are present.
• Use the Buddy System. Always swim with a buddy. Select swimming sites that have lifeguards when possible.
• Seizure Disorder Safety. If you or a family member has a seizure disorder, provide one-on-one supervision around water, including swimming pools. Consider taking showers rather than using a bath tub for bathing. Wear life jackets when boating.
• Learn to Swim. Formal swimming lessons can protect young children from drowning. However, even when children have had formal swimming lessons, constant, careful supervision when children are in the water, and barriers, such as pool fencing to prevent unsupervised access, are still important.
• Learn Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR). In the time it takes for paramedics to arrive, your CPR skills could save someone’s life.
• Air-Filled or Foam Toys are not safety devices. Don’t use air-filled or foam toys, such as “water wings”, “noodles”, or inner-tubes, instead of life jackets. These toys are not life jackets and are not designed to keep swimmers safe.
• Avoid Alcohol. Avoid drinking alcohol before or during swimming, boating, or water skiing. Do not drink alcohol while supervising children.
• Don’t let swimmers hyperventilate before swimming underwater or try to hold their breath for long periods of time. This can cause them to pass out (sometimes called “shallow water blackout”) and drown.
• Know the local weather conditions and forecast before swimming or boating. Strong winds and thunderstorms with lightning strikes are dangerous.
If you have a swimming pool at home:
• Install Four-Sided Fencing. Install a four-sided pool fence that completely separates the pool area from the house and yard. The fence should be at least 4 feet high. Use self-closing and self-latching gates that open outward with latches that are out of reach of children. Also, consider additional barriers such as automatic door locks and alarms to prevent access or alert you if someone enters the pool area.
• Clear the Pool and Deck of Toys. Remove floats, balls and other toys from the pool and surrounding area immediately after use so children are not tempted to enter the pool area unsupervised.
If you are in and around natural water settings:
• Use U.S. Coast Guard approved life jackets. This is important regardless of the distance to be traveled, the size of the boat, or the swimming ability of boaters; life jackets can reduce risk for weaker swimmers too.
• Know the meaning of and obey warnings represented by colored beach flags. These may vary from one beach to another.
• Watch for dangerous waves and signs of rip currents. Some examples are water that is discolored and choppy, foamy, or filled with debris and moving in a channel away from shore.
• If you are caught in a rip current, swim parallel to shore. Once free of the current, swim diagonally toward shore.

Resource: Center for Disease Control and Prevention

Public Safety Education Group provides training for CPR, First Aid, Low Stress ACLS, OSHA, Bloodborne and HIV/AIDS. Individual Classes as well as Groups of 7 or more. Contact us today to schedule your class: 407-409-4CPR (4277)

1. Try Progressive Relaxation All the way from fingers to toes– tense and then release each muscle group in the body (lower arm, upper arm, chest, back and abdominals, etc.). Once the body is relaxed, the mind will be soon to follow!
2. Try Some Light Yoga The combination of deep breathing techniques and poses makes this activity work to reduce stress, too.
3. Meditate The “mental silence” that goes along with meditation may have positive effects on stress (especially work-related stress).
4. Breathe Deep Taking a deep breath has been shown to lower cortisol levels, which can help reduce stress and anxiety. Studies suggest deep breathing can also cause a temporary drop in blood pressure.
5. Spark Some Scents Studies suggest aromatherapy can be a good way to relieve stress. Certain aromas (like lavender) have been consistently shown to reduce stress levels.
6. Listen To Music Research points to multiple ways in which music can help relieve stress, from triggering biochemical stress reducers to assisting in treating stress associated with medical procedures.
7. Laugh It Off Laughter can reduce the physical effects of stress (like fatigue) on the body.
8. Drink Tea One study found that drinking black tea leads to lower post-stress cortisol levels and greater feelings of relaxation.
9. Exercise That post-exercise endorphin rush is one way to sharply cut stress.
10. Try Guided Visualization Visualizing a calm or peaceful scene may help reduce stress and ease anxiety.
11. Join A Religious Community Surveys have shown a major underlying reason people practice religion is for stress relief. One study even found that college students who practiced a religion were less stressed than their non-religious counterparts. And other research suggests religious people are less likely to experience stress-related mental illness.
12. Chew Gum Studies suggest the act of chewing gum can reduce cortisol levels, helping to alleviate stress.
13. Get A Massage Getting a good ol’ rub down may do more than alleviate physical pain. Studies suggest massage may also be beneficial for fighting stress. It may also help improve body image.
14. Try Self-Hypnosis Research suggests hypnosis can help reduce anxiety. Plus, it’s a great self-mediated technique for stress-relief.
15. Talk About Sex, Baby Studies have shown sex can actually decrease the physical symptoms of stress, like lowering blood pressure.
16. Take A Nap Napping has been shown to reduce cortisol levels, which aids in stress relief.
17. Hug It Out. Hugging may actually reduce blood pressure and stress levels in adults.
18. Hang With Your Pet Or, as we’ve put it before, just get a dog. Dog owners have been shown to be less stressed out — most likely thanks to having a buddy to cuddle.
19. Do An Art Project Art therapy can potentially reduce stress-related behavior and symptoms.
20. Write It Out Keeping a journal may be one way to effectively relieve stress-related symptoms due to its meditative and reflective effects. A gratitude journal can really help us put things in perspective, so pick a time every day to write down a few things that make you happy.
21. Take A Walk A quiet, meditative stroll can do wonders for stress relief, especially when we step outdoors.
22. Try not to rush, and take whatever pace feels most natural.
23. Kiss Someone! Research suggests kissing releases chemicals that ease hormones associated with stress, like cortisol. Forming positive relationships is also a key way to help reduce stress and anxiety.

About Us
Public Safety Education Group offers courses in CPR training, First Aid training, Low Stress ACLS, OSHA, Bloodborne and HIV/Aids for individuals as well as groups of 7 students or more in the Central Florida area. Trainings are performed by Local Professional Firefighters and Paramedics. Customers range from dental offices and businesses to schools and larger organizations.

Contact Us today for a class:
407-409-4CPR
or visit us at: www.publicsafetyeducation.org
Public Safety Education Group provides training for CPR, First Aid, Low Stress ACLS, OSHA, Bloodborne and HIV/AIDS. Individual Classes as well as Groups of 7 or more. Contact us today to schedule your class: 407-409-4CPR (4277)

What is the difference
between a Cardiac
Arrest and a Heart Attack?

Contrary to popular belief, sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) is not the same thing as a heart attack. SCA occurs when abnormal rhythms disrupt the electrical impulses of the heart, which cause it to abruptly stop pumping. On the other hand, a heart attack (myocardial infarction) is the final stage of heart disease, a condition that slows blood flow over time.

Both medical events require immediate attention; however, the prognosis for SCA is much more grim. Only about 5 percent of people who experience sudden cardiac arrest survive, while many heart attack sufferers can expect to recover.

Sudden cardiac arrest — is the leading cause of death in the United States, killing more than 325,000 men and women every year. Fortunately, modern medicine has come up with a number of tools to help revive those who experience sudden cardiac arrest. Many of these emergency procedures require medical training and/or complex equipment; but one — cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) — needs no additional devices and can be performed by a layperson with only a little bit of training.

Despite the varying prognoses of these heart conditions, CPR does help play a role in survival by extending the window of time a person can be kept alive before they receive additional medical attention, such as defibrillation and emergency surgery.

In addition, other sudden medical events — such as near drowning, carbon monoxide poisoning or an electrical shock — can lead to loss of heart or lung functioning that requires CPR.

If you witness someone collapse suddenly, or if you come across a person who appears lifeless, tap him or her on the shoulder and ask if they are OK. If they don’t respond, you should immediately call for emergency responders and then try to resuscitate the unconscious per using CPR.

If it’s a baby that appears to be in distress, stroke the infant to see if he or she responds to touch; but never shake a baby to try to get a response.

10 first aid steps (when someone has a convulsive seizure)

What to do when someone has a seizure where they shake or jerk (a convulsive seizure). This is intended as a quick first aid guide when someone is having a convulsive (tonic clonic or clonic) seizure.

Although it can be frightening to see, this type of seizure it is not usually a medical emergency. Usually, once the convulsions have stopped, the person recovers and their breathing goes back to normal.

What to do

1. Stay calm.
2. Look around – is the person in a dangerous place?  If not, don’t move them. Move objects like furniture away from them.
3. Note the time the seizure starts.
4. Stay with them. If they don’t collapse but seem blank or confused, gently guide them away from any danger. Speak quietly and calmly.
5. Cushion their head with something soft if they have collapsed to the ground.
6. Don’t hold them down.
7. Don’t put anything in their mouth.
8. Check the time again. If a convulsive (shaking) seizure doesn’t stop after 5 minutes, call for an ambulance.
9. After the seizure has stopped, put them into the recovery position and check that their breathing is returning to normal.  Gently check their mouth to see that nothing is blocking their airway such as food or false teeth. If their breathing sounds difficult after the seizure has stopped, call for an ambulance.
10. Stay with them until they are fully recovered.

If they are injured, or they have another seizure without recovering fully from the first seizure, call for an ambulance.

Talking About 911 With Kids

One of the challenges of being a parent is arming your kids with the skills to handle the obstacles life presents. Teaching them how to use 911 in an emergency could be one of the simplest — and most important — lessons you’ll ever share. Not that long ago, there was a separate telephone number for each type of emergency agency. For a fire, you called the fire department; for a crime, you called the police; for a medical situation, you called an ambulance or doctor.

But now 911 is a central number for all types of emergencies. An emergency dispatch operator quickly takes information from the caller and puts the caller in direct contact with whatever emergency personnel are needed, thus making response time quicker.

According to the National Emergency Number Association, 911 covers nearly all of the population of the United States, but check your phone book or go online to be sure that 911 is the emergency number to use in your area.

Everyone needs to know about calling 911 in an emergency. But kids also need to know the specifics about what an emergency is. Asking them questions like, “What would you do if we had a fire in our house?” or “What would you do if you saw someone trying to break in?” gives you a chance to discuss what constitutes an emergency and what to do if one occurs. Role playing is an especially good way to address various emergency scenarios and give your kids the confidence they’ll need to handle them.

Thanks for being a part of Public Safety Education Group of Central Florida. We are glad that you are taking part to save lives!

Up to 150,000 people a year could be given a chance to live if more people knew first aid.

Thousands of people are dying each year in situations where first aid could have made the difference. This includes nearly 900 people who choke to death, 2,500 who asphyxiate from a blocked airway and 29,000 who die from heart attacks.

First aid could make a dramatic difference in these situations, either through direct intervention, in the case of choking, or by recognizing life-threatening signs, such as a heart attack, and caring for someone until medical help arrives. Below are helpful tips.

• Nearly two-thirds of people (59%) wouldn’t feel confident enough to try to save a life
• A quarter (24%) would do nothing and wait for an ambulance to arrive or hope that a passer-by knows first aid.

For classes contact us!! 407-518-8280 or visit www.publicsafetyeducation.org

Heart Attack Symptoms Chest pain/pressure, shortness of breath, nausea, sweating, pain possibly in the jaw, neck, arms, shoulders and/or shoulder blades. Treatment – Call 911. Monitor the victims breathing.

Stroke Symptoms – Slurred speech, numbness or paralysis to one side of the body, loss of vision, severe headache. Treatment – Call 911 and record the time of the stroke. The faster you call 911 the better chance the person has of regaining lost motor functions.

Shock 1. Skin becomes cool, pale and sweaty. Victim may vomit, feel weak or dizzy. 2. Position victim on their back. 3. If victim vomits roll them on their side and clean out the airway. 4. Treatment – Call 911. 5. Monitor the victims breathing.

• Effective bystander CPR, provider immediately after cardiac arrest, can double a victim’s chance of survival.

• CPR helps maintain vital blood flow to the heart and brain and increases the amount of time that an electric shock from a defibrillator can be effective.

• Approximately 95 percent of sudden cardiac arrest victims die before reaching the hospital.

• Death from sudden cardiac arrest is not inevitable. If more people know CPR, more lives could be saved.

• Brain death starts to occur four to six minutes after someone experiences cardiac arrest if no CPR and defibrillation occurs during that time.

• If bystander CPR is not provided, a sudden cardiac arrest victim’s chances of survival fall 7 percent to 10 percent for every minute of delay until defibrillation. Few attempts at resuscitation are successful if CPR and defibrillation are not provided within minutes of collapse.

• Coronary heart disease accounts for about 446,000 of the over 864,000 adults who die each year as a result of cardiovascular disease.

• There are 294,851 emergency medical services-treated out-of-hospital cardiac arrests annually in the United States.

• There are about 318,000 coronary heart disease deaths within one hour of symptom onset each year in the United States.

• Sudden cardiac arrest is most often caused by an abnormal heart rhythm called ventricular fibrillation (VF). Cardiac arrest can also occur after the onset of a heart attack or as a result of electrocution or near-drowning.

• When sudden cardiac arrest occurs, the victim collapses, becomes unresponsive to gentle shaking, stops normal breathing and after two rescue breaths, still isn’t breathing normally, coughing or moving.