Oak Hill, WV (WOAY) – A local doctor is urging southern West Virginia residents to brush up on CPR and AED skills during national CPR and AED Awareness Week, saying the tools to save a life are closer than most people realize.
According to the American Heart Association, more than 350,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests happen in the United States every year, and nine out of ten of those people do not survive. About three out of four of those events happen at home.
Dr. Paul Conley said the urgency is constant.
“Every 40 seconds, you know, as we’re doing this interview, every 40 seconds, someone’s having a heart attack. And most of these heart attacks occur at home.”
When many people think about CPR, movies come to mind. Someone collapses, a bystander pumps their chest, and the heart starts again. But doctors say that’s not how it works. CPR circulates blood and buys time, but it does not restart the heart on its own. That’s where AEDs come in.
“AED stands for automatic external defibrillator. And so we’re seeing more and more of those, like even in my clinic, we have an AED. You see AEDs now, the police officers, school buses, schools, and this is where you apply a pad to the chest. And it actually will tell you whether or not this is a rhythm that would require a shock.”
Despite access and ease of use, the American Heart Association says less than 12 percent of cardiac arrest victims in public had a bystander use an AED on them, and fewer than half received any CPR at all before emergency crews arrived.
Dr. Conley says the barrier is lack of awareness. He points to a three-step response anyone can learn, and the American Heart Association offers short instructional videos on its YouTube page.
“People are concerned that they can’t do it, but it’s actually very simple when we think about basic life support. Call 911,” Conley said. “Fast and hard chest compressions … and if you have access to an AED, make sure you have that and use an AED.”
CPR and AED Awareness Week runs through Sunday, June 7th. Dr. Conley says knowledge is the first step in saving a life.
