What is Cardiopulmonary resuscitation?

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation it is one of the best emergency procedures that is administered to an individual when their heart stops functioning due to breathing difficulties. It has a very high chance of saving lives when it is administered immediately.

What is a Myth?

A myth is any rumor or hearsay believed to be true, but often a lie. For instance, there are so many make-believe stories surrounding CPR, from matters of real survival rates to best practices.

The danger of believing all these misleading opinions is failing to respond accurately when a person is in a life-threatening situation. And because the effectiveness of CPR depends on time, a response rates or decisions can draw the line survival and death.

But many times when CPR is issued during an emergency, and more often than not, the result is a saved life. Still, many a time people are reluctant to help a person under sudden cardiac arrest due to negative thoughts and opinions linked to CPR.

The majority of the people who spread rumors are individuals who have not undergone CPR training and certification. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) myths are most spread mostly through television films, movies, blogs and misleading articles.

What Is CPR Certification

CPR certification is a combination of problem solving techniques and procedures that are used in case of medical emergencies. Such life-threatening medical emergencies includes cardiac arrests, stroke and other forms of emergencies such as drowning.

As we have referred to it as a combination of problem solving techniques, these combinations includes first aid, automated external defibrillator (AED) and Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).

These trainings can be done through online courses. They impact knowledge and skills to individuals on how to handle emergencies and act appropriately without endangering lives.

 It should be noted that these courses are not only by the medical practitioners, any other person in any profession can sharpen their Cardiopulmonary resuscitation skills and save a life.

Make-believe CPR Stories Claiming the Lives of Many

This article will try to highlight some of the myths that are misleading or spreading a mere rumor when it comes to CPR. It will also try to clear those myths by highlighting facts.

  1. CPR Can Only Be Done By Professionals.

This is one of the most common misguided perspectives—that CPR can only be done by medical professionals. People also tend to believe that one must be a medical practitioner to perform CPR.

To many people in the society, CPR is only be effective if a done by (or in the presence of a medical practitioner. These perceptions can lead to loss of life in cases where one can be rescued if a bystander attempts to administer CPR.

Life saving strategies can be taught by a simple CPR certification course. Its starts with the passion of being a life-save in a death situation, and then comes the push to know more through CPR training.  

No papers, pass marks, grades or any other selection criteria here, anyone is qualified to learn CPR. All you need is the willingness to learn and some dedication.

Some of the emergency response service providers such as recommend just a simple chest compression when waiting for CPR to be done. With that they argue that people get the sense of training on CPR.

By eluding this myth, deaths rates caused by cardiac arrest can be significantly minimized and a sense of responsibility will grow within us.

  • CPR can lead to Injuries.

When Cardiopulmonary resuscitation is administered, one uses a reasonable amount of force to compress the chest. It can also be done by through of mouth to mouth resuscitation.

These procedures are done to introduce or induce air into the lungs and prompt breathing. And the rush to save a life, one can use excessive force when issuing chest compressions and cause injuries to the ribs or lungs.

As the myth says that CPR causes injuries, it’s true to some extent but what should matter most in a life-and-death situation is saving a life. These bruises can heals with time— some don’t even need medical attention.

Therefore, the thought of inflicting injuries when performing these procedures should not prevent people from issuing CPR when it’s time to. It is a live saving procedure everyone should strive to learn.

  • CPR Is Not Necessary.

Not every time or day will you encounter a casualty who needs CPR— that can raise the question; is there any need to learn CPR?

But you must not meet casualties who need CPR procedures in order to have general knowledge of what do. First aid and CPR training are invaluable skills that everybody needs to learn and master.

The American Heart Association (AHA) conducted a study which concluded that 75 per cent of all the cardiac arrest cases recorded do not survive due to lack of emergency response. This is due to the lack of willingness to train on CPR skills and techniques.

That means if people can show more willingness and move to acquire knowledge on issuing CPR, then more lives can be saved— in the event you need an emergency response. This idea that CPR is not worth knowing has claimed lots of lives in cases where passersby can save a life.

  • Mouth to Mouth CPR Is Mandatory.

Training for Cardiopulmonary resuscitation involves different techniques that help a casualty to induce air in their lungs. In chest compressions, hands are used to press the chest and pressure is induced to the lungs to restore normal breathing.

Mouth to mouth resuscitation is done to clear the air ways from the lungs in order to regularize breathing. It is also require training in order to have the best possible result.

However, a lot of people are misled and left to believe that mouth to mouth resuscitation is a must when performing CPR procedure. They also believe that one can be infected and thus shy away from using it.

This is further fueled by make believe stories and misleading films. But the truth of the matter is; hands only Cardiopulmonary resuscitation can help save a life. If mouth to mouth resuscitation is required, there other protective modes that can be used to avert the risks.

  • A Single CPR Certification Training Is Enough.

The question many people ask themselves is if they are required to attend CPR classes and after how long. It’s important to that individuals need constant CPR refresher classes in order to advance themselves as time changes.

Individuals can stay quite a long time before they administer a CPR procedure and begin forgetting the essential steps needed to save lives.

That explains why it is very important to have regular training in order to perform the procedure in the right way. It can help one to avoid injuries or even cause death. And lastly, it keeps the person updated on Cardiopulmonary resuscitation procedures.

  • Legal Woes in Cases of CPR Gone-Wrong.

In some cases, a passerby tries to save a life. Unfortunately, when performing the CPR procedure, the casualty dies due to an accident that may have been caused during administering it. 

In many cases, law recognizes the actions of good intentions and deeds. Therefore, the risk of death during CPR should not prevent people from helping a sudden cardiac arrest victim when they feel they need to. Courts recognize the good act of trying to save life rather than harming it.

Get Online CPR Training and Certification

Registering with the right course provider can give access to many training resources. Online courses explain the procedures of successful Cardiopulmonary resuscitation and leverage videos to explain the processes in details.

But despite the distance, online training is successful and a convenient way to conducting training. Practice is also an important aspect. Physical classes are also needed so as practice can be done by a supervision of a trainer.

All trainings should be done by the use of manikin. It also helps to note that a healthy person (breathing normally) should not be used as a training instrument for CPR.

Online training can be done anywhere as long as you have devices that can gain access to the internet. We can access many training resources which explain the procedures of a successful CPR.

In conclusion

Knowledge on CPR procedures should matter to all passersby. Since there so many avenues to acquire information and understanding of CPR procedures, individuals are encouraged to learn more about this lifesaving technique.

The people who spread rumors about CPR are the bunch who won’t seek the truth about anything they hear.

Get CPR training and share the technique to help save more lives.