What Does CPR Mean?
CPR is short for Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation. It is a technique used to save a person’s life that has a sudden cardiac arrest. During this procedure, a person initiates a series of steps in order to help the victim’s blood continuously circulating and maintaining oxygen levels in the body. The steps include breathing (“rescue breaths”) into the victim’s lungs and compressing the victim’s chest. Let’s break this down even further to better understand CPR.
Cardio
The word “cardio” basically means the heart. Our heart is one of the most important organs in our bodies. The heart is a very strong muscle, found in the chest, which expands and contracts more than 60 times every minute and pumps blood, which is rich in oxygen, from the lungs to the rest of the organs in the body. If the heart stops pumping that all-important oxygenated blood to the rest of the body, tissue begins to die because the body’s vital organs are being deprived of the oxygen it needs to survive. This can lead to organ malfunction, brain damage or, in the worst case, death.
Pulmonary
The word “pulmonary” essentially means the lungs. The lungs are as important as the heart because when you take a breath (which you do up to 25 times a minute!), you fill your lungs with much needed oxygen and that oxygen combines with sugar to fuel your body and its vital organs. Since the tissues in our body do not store much oxygen, it is essential that they remain constantly oxygenated.
Resuscitation
The “R” in CPR is the most important letter and it means “resuscitation.” It basically means bringing someone who is apparently “dead,” back to life. It sounds more like a sci-fi movie than it really is. The human body only has a short supply of oxygen once the heart stops and the lungs are no longer receiving adequate oxygen. Once it runs out of oxygen, cell and tissue damage ensue, which can lead to brain damage and even death. When resuscitating a victim, it is important to remember that without oxygen, cell and tissue death begins between four and six minutes after being deprived of oxygen.
Importance of CPR
Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) can be lifesaving. It helps keep the blood circulating and delivers oxygen to the body until treatment from a medical professional is available. There is usually sufficient oxygen in the blood to keep the victim’s brain and other vital organs alive, supported for a few minutes. Still, it is not circulating until someone accomplishes CPR. Keeping the blood flow active allows for successful resuscitation once trained medical staff arrives on site.
Although there is no guarantee that a cardiac arrest victim will survive CPR, it provides the victim with a chance. According to the American Heart Association, Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation can double or triple the chances of survival after cardiac arrest. Without performing CPR, it will only take a few minutes for the victim’s brain to become injured due to a lack of oxygen.
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