Only 46 percent of the people who experience an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest have access to immediate medical help, the American Heart Association reports. At the same time, CPR administered right away can increase a person’s chances of survival by nearly two to three times.

This should be reason enough for you to learn CPR. If you need to be convinced a bit more about getting CPR training, here are a few additional benefits you’ll get to enjoy by joining California CPR classes.

CPR Training Saves Lives

Before moving on to other reasons why learning to do cardiopulmonary resuscitation is important, let’s focus on the top one. Doing CPR can save lives.

Heart disease is on the rise in California, the US and across the Western world.

A report published in the beginning of 2019 suggests that nearly half of all adults in the US have cardiovascular disease. Currently, heart disease is the leading cause of mortality in the country. It is so common that it causes one in four deaths.

While fewer people smoke today than in the past and emphasis is being put on the importance of working out, heart conditions are still prevalent. Obesity, stress and sleep deprivation are common and these have been linked to an increased risk of cardiovascular problems.

In the aftermath of cardiac arrest, performing the basic CPR steps immediately can make the difference between life and death.

In the period from 2005 to 2012, the number of people who received CPR from a bystander after cardiac arrest went up from 39 to 51 percent, the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) reports. At the very same time, survival without brain damage increased from 4.1 to 8.4 percent. Researchers believe that the increased rate of bystander CPR being performed immediately is one of the main reasons for the higher survival rate without complications.

And this isn’t the only type of emergency in which CPR and basic first aid assistancecan be beneficial.

CPR and first aid classes teach participants how to deal with emergencies like:

  • Choking
  • Drowning and near drowning incidents
  • Other cardiopulmonary emergencies
  • Neck, head and back injuries
  • Severe allergic reactions
  • Wounds and accidents that cause bleeding
  • The swallowing of drugs or chemicals

Most CPR classes also feature first aid training, which enables people who are not medical professionals to offer assistance before an emergency team arrives.

Anyone Can Learn to Do CPR

Anyone can learn how to perform the essential CPR steps.

CPR training isn’t restricted to people who want to become medical professionals. On the contrary! Just about anyone can act in an emergency but at the same time, most people feel helpless because of their lack of training.

The procedures that have to be followed to keep a person alive and prevent complications like brain damage in the case of cardiac arrest or drowning, for example, are simple. CPR classes take participants through both the theory and the practical essentials that have to be mastered.

Once thorough CPR training is received, a person will internalize the skills needed to act quickly and to do the right sequence of steps to address an emergency situation in an adequate manner.

Most Cardiac Arrests and Emergencies Occur at Home or at a Workplace

Few people are lucky enough to have a medical emergency in the vicinity of a hospital or a properly equipped medical facility.

Seventy-five percent of all cardiac arrests happen in people’s homes.

In the case of cardiac arrest, the heart goes from beating normally to a quivering rhythm. This prevents the blood from getting properly oxygenated and pumping throughout the body. CPR helps a small amount of oxygenated blood to pass through the body until emergency medical assistance arrives.

Thus, CPR prolongs the window of time for the administration of proper assistance like defibrillation – an electric shock that gets the heart beating again. Whenever CPR is started within four minutes of a person experiencing cardiac arrest, it can give that person a 40 percent chance of survival. Obviously, the number isn’t negligible. Whether you’re assisting a loved one or a person you don’t know, you could be giving them a chance to “wait” for medical help without suffering from serious complications.

CPR Is Easy and Fun to Learn

CPR training is interactive, it provides hands-on experience and it usually occurs in group settings.

Hence, you will have the chance to socialize, learn how to save lives and even make a few new friends among a socially-conscious group of people who want to become more valuable members of the community.

Once again, you don’t need medical training in order to do CPR and to offer first aid. The technique is mastered through practice. Doing it multiple times during the CPR classes will give you the confidence you need to act in a real-life emergency.

A CPR class can be a few hours long and that’s all it takes. The same applies to basic first aid training.

Thus, if you want to learn both CPR and first aid, you may have to dedicate a single day to getting the best training. That’s it! Obviously, more thorough classes are available for those needing to learn a bigger number of essentials. Teachers, trainers and healthcare providers, for example, could look for a more comprehensive course in order to learn key skills required for doing their job.

CPR classes are a lot of fun, whether you’re taking them with a friend or on your own. You’ll never notice the time flying by because you’ll be engaged in acquiring new skills and testing them out in classroom settings.

Finding the right CPR certification option is all it takes to master life-saving skills.

Many entities in California offer CPR classes but Southern California Mobile CPR is one of the leaders. If you’re looking for convenience and an array of training option, Southern California Mobile CPR is the training provider to get in touch with.

You can learn more about our CPR classes here or contact us to have your questions answered.