The American Heart Association and Anthem Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Anthem Inc. and affiliated foundation of Healthy Blue, unveiled a Hands-Only CPR Kiosk at Xavier University. The interactive Hands-Only CPR Kiosk, located in the University Center building, can teach students and faculty in about five minutes in-between classes or during study breaks.
Every year, more than 350,000 cardiac arrests occur outside of the hospital in the United States. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), especially if performed immediately, can double or triple a victim’s chance of survival.
The kiosk has a touch screen with a video that provides a brief introduction and an overview of Hands-Only CPR, followed by a practice session and a 30-second test. With the help of a practice manikin, or a rubber torso, the kiosk gives feedback about the depth and rate of compressions and proper hand placement –factors that influence the effectiveness of CPR. The entire training takes about five minutes. The instruction is also available in Spanish, and has closed captioning in both English and Spanish.
Only 46 percent of people who suffer an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest receive bystander CPR before professional help arrives. The machine is one way to help increase bystander CPR efforts in order to help meet the Association’s goal to double bystander CPR response by 2020.
“Cardiac arrest remains a leading cause of death in the United States, and survival depends on immediately receiving CPR from someone nearby,” said Brittany Gay, American Heart Association Vice President-New Orleans. “Although in-person training is still the best way to learn the skills necessary for high-quality CPR, the kiosk will provide additional training that could make a difference and save the life of someone you love.”
Many Americans don’t perform CPR for a variety of reasons such as lack of training, low confidence, or fear of hurting a cardiac arrest victim. However, Hands-Only CPR has two easy steps, performed in this order--when you see a teen or adult suddenly collapse, call 911. Then, push hard and fast in the center of the chest until help arrives. Hands-Only CPR has been shown to be as effective as conventional CPR for cardiac arrest when it occurs in public.
“Approximately 90 percent of cardiac arrest victims outside of the hospital die, often because bystanders don’t know how to start CPR or are afraid they’ll do something wrong,” said Aaron Lambert, president of Healthy Blue. “The kiosk’s instruction will help instill confidence in students and the public about performing Hands-Only CPR and, ultimately, empower them to perform this life-saving technique if they witness a cardiac emergency. We need students and the campus community to understand that it is much to better to act than to do nothing at all.”
The kiosk sits on the first floor by the Art Gallery at the University Center on the campus where approximately 3,000 students are enrolled. The kiosk at the university marks the first Hands-Only CPR training kiosk to be placed in Louisiana.
“We applaud the American Heart Association, Healthy Blue, and Anthem Foundation for working proactively to improve the survival rates for victims of cardiac arrest,” said Xavier University of Louisiana President Reynold Verret. “It is my hope that every Xavier University student and staff member learns this skill by utilizing this great Hands-Only CPR kiosk training tool, increasing their knowledge and potential to save a life in an emergency.”
To learn more about the Hands-Only CPR campaign and learn how to save a life, visit www.heart.org/handsonlycpr.