If Someone Collapsed in Front of You, Could You Perform CPR?

If you answered no, you’re hardly alone. Just over half of Americans know how to perform the emergency procedure. And even fewer know the recommended hands-only technique for bystanders, a Cleveland Clinic survey revealed. Cardiac arrest occurs when the heart suddenly stops beating normally, due to a problem in its electrical system. Usually, the person collapses into unconsciousness and stops breathing normally. It is quickly fatal without emergency medical treatment.

If a bystander immediately starts CPR chest compressions, that can keep blood and oxygen flowing in the victim’s body until paramedics arrive.

“When someone is suffering from cardiac arrest, time is not on their side,” Dr. Steve Nissen, chairman of cardiovascular medicine, said in a clinic news release. “Immediate CPR can be the difference between life and death, doubling or even tripling a person’s chance of survival. It’s a skill that can be easily learned, and we encourage everyone to equip themselves with this knowledge and not be afraid to use it during an emergency,” Nissen said.

The online poll queried more than 1,000 U.S. adults. Fifty-four percent of respondents said they know how to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation. However, only one in six knew that hands-only (just chest compressions, no breaths) is the recommended CPR method for bystanders. And only 11 percent knew the correct rate (100 to 120 a minute) for chest compressions.

Confusing heart attack and stroke symptoms

The survey also found that heart attack and stroke symptoms were frequently confused, which could lead to delays in patients receiving proper treatment. Fifty-nine percent falsely believed that sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm or leg is a symptom of a heart attack. And 39 percent incorrectly thought that slurred speech is a heart attack symptom. These actually are common stroke symptoms.

Most respondents knew that pressure/ squeezing in the chest, shortness of breath, and pain in one or both arms were typical symptoms of a heart attack, but less than half knew that back or jaw pain and nausea/vomiting can also indicate a heart attack.

“Every year about 735,000 Americans experience a heart attack. It’s vital to know the correct signs and symptoms, so people can take the best first steps to help themselves during an emergency. Knowing how to properly respond to a heart attack could save your life or the life of a loved one,” Nissen explained.

Most respondents knew that calling 911 was the first thing to do when someone suffers a heart attack. But only 36 percent knew that the patients should chew an aspirin right away, the survey revealed.

Racial and ethnic disparities

A recent separate study found that when someone collapses in front of witnesses, the chances of receiving potentially lifesaving CPR may partly depend on the color of their skin, a new study suggests. Researchers found that when Black and Hispanic Americans suffer cardiac arrest, they are up to 37% less likely than white people to receive bystander CPR in public places and at home.

The reasons for the disparity are not certain, but there are potential explanations, said senior researcher Dr. Paul Chan, of Saint Luke’s Mid America Heart Institute in Kansas City, Mo.

CPR trainings, he said, are less available in Black and Hispanic communities, and there are other barriers like cost, which may help account for the disparities in responses to at-home cardiac arrests.

But going into the study, the researchers expected that disparities would be lessened when cardiac arrests happened in public. With more people around, the chances that a bystander would be trained in CPR are greater.

Instead, the disparities were greater: Among cardiac arrests that happened at home, Black and Hispanic individuals were 26% less likely than white people to receive CPR. In public settings, that gap grew to 37%.

For CPR training or certification, visit www.redcross.org.