CPR FACTS AND STATISTICS

Approximately 95 percent of sudden cardiac arrest victims die before reaching the hospital. About 75 percent to 80 percent of those out-of-hospital cardiac arrests happen at home. Being trained to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) can mean the difference between life and death for a loved one.

Death from sudden cardiac arrest is not inevitable. If more people knew CPR, more lives could be saved. CPR helps maintain vital blood flow to the heart and brain and increases the amount of time that an electric shock from a defibrillator can be effective.

Brain death starts to occur four to six minutes after someone experiences cardiac arrest if no CPR and defibrillation occurs during that time.

If bystander CPR is not provided, a sudden cardiac arrest victim’s chances of survival fall 7 percent to 10 percent for every minute of delay until defibrillation. Few attempts at resuscitation are successful if CPR and defibrillation are not provided within minutes of collapse.

Sudden cardiac arrest is most often caused by an abnormal heart rhythm called ventricular fibrillation (VF). Cardiac arrest can also occur after the onset of a heart attack or as a result of electrocution or near-drowning.