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Friday, September 10, 2010

Here's an action-provoking thought:

THE POLITE VERSION:
The statistics regarding sudden cardiac arrests and CPR are shocking:
  • The odds that you will see one or more sudden cardiac arrests in your lifetime are about one-in-seven;
  • When you see a cardiac arrest, the odds are about 85% that the victim will be a family member, a friend, or an aquaintance.
These statistics are even more shocking when you consider the implications of both at the same time: there is a non-trivial probability that you will have to either perform CPR on a family member or friend someday.

Please get trained if your current training is more than two years old - CPR has changed.

________

...and if that hasn't convinced you that you need to get current CPR training, read the blunt version below.

THE BLUNT VERSION:
What's the difference between playing Russian Roulette and not knowing CPR?

Very little, actually:
  • If you play Russian Roulette, the odds that you will die or be terribly neurologically damaged are about one in six with every spin of the cylinder of a revolver. If you lose, you die or spend the rest of your life in a care facility. In this case, you are acting irresponsibly, you might suffer tragically, and it's not going to be a walk in the park for those you leave behind.
  • If you don't know CPR, it's just like Russian Roulette, but the revolver is pointed at the head of a family member or friend or acquaintance. In this case, a family member or friend dies or spends the rest of their life in a care facility. In this case, you are acting irresponsibly, and your family or friends or acquaintances might suffer tragically.
Please get trained if your current training is more than two years old - CPR has changed.