CPR and AED awareness week aims to educate the public about performing CPR and using AEDs during cardiac emergencies. CPR involves chest compressions and rescue breathing to manually pump the heart and provide oxygen to the brain until emergency services arrive. An AED analyzes heart rhythm and delivers shocks to restore a normal rhythm if needed. It is crucial that bystanders are trained in CPR and AED use, as the chances of survival after cardiac arrest decrease by 10% every minute without CPR.

1. It’s National CPR and AED Awareness
Week! Learn How You can Fight with
Cardiac Arrest.

2. What is CPR?
CPR means cardio-pulmonary resuscitation, and it literally means to
resuscitate, or revive, the heart and lungs.
It’s a life-saving technique used on individuals who have just had a
cardiac arrest, or are saved from drowning, and so on.
It helps to keep the oxygenated blood flowing to the brain.
For CPR, you need to keep the patient flat on his back, and then
place one hand in the exact center of the chest and the other hand
on top of it. Using your upper body weight, you need to push down
on the chest up to 2 inches, at a speed of 100-120 compressions a
minute.
In some cases, the person may need mouth-to-mouth respiration;
here you tilt the head and lift the chin of the patient to open the
airway. You then need to open the patient’s mouth and lock your
mouth onto their mouth, making it airtight.
You need to blow air into their mouth, wait to see if the chest rises,
and blow once more if it does not. Ideally, you should compress the
chest 30 times, and blow air twice – in one cycle.

3. What is AED?
AED means automated external defibrillator; the device is used on
people who have had sudden cardiac arrests.
Sticky pads with electrodes (sensors) are attached to the individual’s
chest, and the electrodes transmit information regarding their heart
rhythm to the AED’s computer.
When required, the defibrillator can deliver a shock (also called counter
shock) to stop the chaotic electrical activity and enable the heart to
resume normal rhythm.
It is not recommended to use AED without receiving proper training, as
the magnitude of the voltage applied to the patient is extremely
important – wrong voltage could cause serious damage.
AEDs are often available in many workplaces and some public places
like airports.
You can also buy one for your home, especially if your family has a
history of heart disease; the Red Cross can help you with this.

4. What Happens During A Heart Attack?
A heart attack is also called a myocardial infarction; it means death
of heart tissue due to lack of blood supply.
Though the heart pumps blood, it also needs adequate supply of
blood to be able to do this job.
The coronary arteries supply blood to the heart.
Sometimes, these arteries can get blocked – this could be due to
excessive fatty deposits (cholesterol), blood clots, or constriction
due to chronic blood pressure.
When this happens, the blood flow to the heart is affected – a
complete block means the heart does not receive any blood and
cannot pump blood.
The brain controls all the bodily functions – when the brain does
not receive oxygenated blood, the patient can die.

5. What Happens During A Heart Attack?
Severe pain the chest
Pain in left shoulder or
upper arm
Face and jaw
Dizziness
Cold sweats
Nausea
Breathlessness
Fatigue
Indigestion or heartburn
Irregular heartbeats
Symptoms of a heart
attack include

6. What is ‘National CPR and AED Awareness Week’?
June 1st to 7th every year is observed as National CPR an AED
Awareness Week.
The American Red Cross along with other National Cardiac Arrest
Collaborative members strive to educate the general public about the
importance of providing resuscitation to individuals who have had
heart attacks in the shortest possible time.
The Red Cross and NCAC members conduct training camps and
sessions to individuals so that they can perform CPR on a patient
suffering from a heart attack. There are also training videos on the
American Red Cross website as well as others.
Now certain workplaces have made it mandatory to be trained and
certified in CPR. The courses provided by the Red Cross are OSHA
compliant – and they train millions of people every year – including
school staff and healthcare providers.
The courses are either online, classroom, or a combination of the
two. Hands-on practice is provided with the “BigRed™ LightSaving
Manikin”. When the CPR is performed right, it indicates it with red
lights showing blood flow to the brain.

7. What is the importance of the ‘National CPR and AED Awareness Week’?
According to the Red Cross, every second counts; with every
minute that passes after the initial attack, the patient’s chances of
survival keep dropping by 7-10%, and after 6 minutes, severe brain
damage or death can occur.
Anyone – including a newborn baby - can get a cardiac arrest, at
any time.
Most heart attacks occur at home or workplace – where there may
not be immediate access to medical help.
Even after you call 911, it could take between 5 and 10 minutes for
the paramedics to arrive – and during this time, the patient could
sink.
So, it’s important for people who are around the patient to know
what to do in such a situation. They can ensure that the brain keeps
receiving oxygenated blood and significantly improve their chances
of survival.
The more people who get trained in CPR and the use of AEDs, the
more lives can be saved.

8. What you should do?
It is highly recommended that you attend a recognized training course
conducted either by the American Red Cross, the National Cardiac
Arrest Collaborative members, or any other recognized organization,
and get certified in performing CPR as well as in using an automated
external defibrillator.
There are several free resources available online, like the videos on
the Red Cross Site.
You may need to use it at work or home, or even in a public place, say
a restaurant, the mall, or the airport – heart attacks can occur
absolutely anywhere, and can affect anyone.
If you are properly trained, you may be able to save lives – and there
could be nothing greater than that.
If you have received training a few years earlier, we still recommend
you go through it once again to keep your skills updated and sharp.

9. Heart Care from EPIC Primary Care
You need to ensure that everyone in your family has good heart
health. Check our blogs, presentations, and Infographics to see how
you can eat and exercise your way to a healthy heart.
Come in for wellness checks – we perform well checks for people of
all ages; follow the recommended frequency, so that any potential
problems are discovered early on.
Your EPIC Primary Care physician will give you a thorough checkup
and order diagnostic tests if necessary. At EPIC, we can conduct
ECGs and blood tests in house, to check the condition of your heart.
Our in-house dietician can create meal plans for you and
recommend healthy alternatives to your ‘unhealthy’ favorites, and
help you learn about portion sizes. Our in-house exercise
physiologist can help you create a personalized training regimen to
keep you in great shape.
Schedule an appointment with your EPIC Primary physician right
away, or walk into our care centers at Detroit, Southfield or
Ferndale for instant access to our certified doctors.

10. THANK YOU
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