February is Heart Month; Learn Hands Only CPR to save the life of a loved one

February is Heart Month.  Veterans Memorial Hospital continues to encourage the public to learn the American Heart Association’s “Hands Only CPR.” This simple way of performing CPR is very easy to do and effective for the victim.

According to the American Heart Association, there are more than 356,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests annually in the United States, with nearly 90% of them fatal. This is because only about 40% of people who experience cardiac arrest outside of a hospital receive immediate care.

The American Heart Association has found Hands Only CPR is effective, easy to learn and encourages more people to act when they witness cardiac arrest.

Learn these simple steps for performing Hands Only CPR to help save the life of someone you love:
• Call 9-1-1 immediately
• Place your hands, one on top of the other, in the center of the person’s chest.
• Begin compressions pushing hard and fast in the center of the chest.
• Keep doing compressions until help arrives.
 
Visit the American Heart Association’s website at www.heart.org/handsonlycpr to watch their Hands Only CPR instructional video. For more information on learning CPR locally, call Veterans Memorial Hospital at 563-568-3411 or stop by the hospital, Waukon Clinic or Postville Clinic main entrance to pick up a Hands Only CPR instruction card for your wallet.