The purpose of CPR is to save lives, but let’s dig a little deeper. With over 356,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests in the US annually, cardiopulmonary resuscitation might save a life when a person’s heart stops, and there are no healthcare providers nearby. When the heart stops pumping blood to the body’s vital organs, death can occur in minutes if not treated as soon as possible.
CPR can save the life of a person having a cardiac or respiratory arrest, but many people do not know how to perform it. Contrary to a popular misconception, CPR is not only for medical professionals and first responders. In fact, when a bystander performs CPR, the chances of survival can be doubled or tripled. Over the last 40 years, the survival rate worldwide of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest patients who received CPR has increased.
In this article, you can learn more about CPR and how to perform it, so you can be prepared for the possibility of saving someone’s life. In addition, you will learn more in detail about the purpose of CPR.
What Exactly Is The Purpose of CPR and How Does It Work
Cardiopulmonary resuscitation is a procedure that can keep alive people experiencing respiratory arrest, cardiac arrest, or other emergencies while preventing brain damage until healthcare professionals arrive. Simply put, CPR helps victims maintain circulation and breathing.
If the heart does not beat, the body will not get oxygen-rich blood. A lack of oxygen might cause brain damage in a few minutes, so CPR helps keep blood flowing to the brain and other vital organs until normal heart rhythm is restored.
A patient’s chance of survival decreases by 10% for every minute passing without receiving CPR. Many deaths can be avoided if a cardiopulmonary arrest is recognized quickly and the emergency medical system is notified, followed by early CPR. CPR is intended to support and maintain circulation and breathing, and it is used combined with other life support measures when performed by medical experts.
There is a slight possibility for CPR to restart the heart, usually with the help of a defibrillator. CPR’s main purpose is to reinstate the partial flow of oxygen-rich blood to the patient’s heart and brain. CPR’s goal is to postpone tissue death and increase the chances of resuscitation without causing permanent brain damage. CPR will induce heart rhythm and should be done until the victim begins breathing or until the trained EMTs take over.
What Causes a Respiratory and Cardiac Arrest
More than 350,000 cardiac arrests occur outside of the hospital each year.
A weak heartbeat, asphyxiation, allergies, blocked breathing passages, drowning, choking, overdose, electric shock, or any significant trauma for the body can all cause cardiac and respiratory arrest.
Even newborns can experience cardiopulmonary arrest. The most common reason is a respiratory failure caused by SIDS, drowning, airway blockage, sepsis, or neurologic disease.
The Purpose of CPR and How to Perform It
Everyone can perform CPR even if they are not first responder professionals. Performing CPR in the first minutes of cardiac or respiratory arrest can double or triple the chances of survival, but it’s important that it’s done properly. This is where CPR training can help.
How Do Adult and Infant CPR Differs?
To understand the purpose of CPR we must know the difference between them. Even if you are untrained and witness someone going into cardiac or respiratory arrest, request emergency assistance and perform compressions until the help arrives. This is known as hands-only CPR, which can help people in cardiac arrests by distributing oxygen already in their body until someone more experienced comes. Following the beat of the songs like “Stayin’ Alive” and “Hips Don’t Lie” can help you remember the compression rate. It’s vital to always call 911 and continue providing CPR until the trained professionals arrive.
Giving CPR to a child is more or less the same as giving it to an adult. Push strongly and quickly with only one hand and do 100 to 120 compressions per minute. If CPR on an infant is needed, place one hand on the forehead to administer good rescue breaths. Then, compress a third or half their chest depth with two fingers of your other hand. The cycle of compressions and breaths will be the same as in children and adults. If you are untrained, keep the compressions until the kid starts moving or emergency help arrives.
However, to be prepared for such situations, we advise you to take CPR courses. The courses are usually divided into letter-based categories: A, B, and C. All prominent training centers, like the American Red Cross, American Heart Association and all AHA-approved training facilities, offer basic different CPR classes.
Level A is basic CPR training recommended for lay rescuers who want to learn the fundamentals of CPR training. This level will be enough for you to learn how to treat most conditions that require CPR. With level B courses, you will learn how to perform CPR for children and infants. The third level is the advanced one, recommended for lifeguards, firefighters, police officers, and everyone who needs extensive training due to the nature of their work.
Red Cross even offers Child and Baby First Aid/CPR/AED courses that teach students how to recognize and treat a wide range of first aid, breathing, and cardiac emergencies in babies and kids.
What’s the Purpose of CPR and What Happens After?
When medical professionals take over the patient, they will immediately transport them to a hospital. In most cases, effective CPR leads to the restoration of consciousness. Next, doctors will examine them to see if they suffered any damage from the lack of oxygen. The medical professional will also find the cause of the respiratory or cardiac arrest and provide any emergency procedure and necessary treatment. Unless there are severe injuries, revived people usually return to normal functioning soon.
However, people can get injuries during CPR. The heart, lungs, liver, and ribs can be some of the injured organs. CPR that is only slightly successful might cause brain damage. In addition, some people can remain in a coma after cardiac arrest, but half of them awaken. Failure to perform effective CPR can result in death.
Wrapping Up What The Purpose of CPR Is
When wondering, “What is the purpose of CPR?” The first thing you need to understand is that CPR is used to reestablish and maintain circulation and breathing, as well as to supply blood and oxygen flow to the brain, heart, and other vital organs.
CPR can be performed on people of all ages by trained individuals or healthcare professionals. However, even untrained people can complete it in emergencies. CPR’s purpose is to maintain the flow of oxygen-rich blood to the brain and other vital organs if the lungs or heart stop working. We strongly advise you to take a first aid course. Formal education will help you stay calm and rational when someone goes into respiratory or cardiac arrest. Also, look online for CPR classes that offer CPR certification, so you are always prepared. And to maintain your skills, you should repeat the course at least every two years to refresh your memory and recertify yourself. In addition, you will stay up to date with the latest developments and discoveries in CPR techniques.