Learning CPR can save a life

Learning CPR can save a life
Ellen Thompson, MD
by
February 13, 2023
in Preventive Care
125

CPR training is a life-saving skill, as demonstrated by the recent events on the field of the Cincinnati Bengals. When Damar Hamlin’s life was in peril, the quick actions of the sports medicine team, led by an assistant athletic trainer, Denny Kellington, who was trained in CPR, made all the difference. Thanks to their swift response, Hamlin was able to make a full recovery and avoid a potentially catastrophic outcome. This highlights the need for widespread CPR training, and I hope this letter will encourage others to become trained and ready to act in similar situations.

Cardiac arrest is a leading cause of death in the world. Each year, more than 350,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests occur in the United States. Almost 3 out of 4 of those happen at home.

If you’re called on to do CPR, you will likely be saving the life of someone you love. The members of our community need us. Our children need us. Our neighbors need us. Our co-workers need us.

The American Heart Association recognizes this need and has a plan to help. You can be the difference by learning CPR to save a life. The American Heart Association is committed to being the leader in resuscitation science, education, and training.

This February during American Heart Month, the American Heart Association is specifically focused on learning the life-saving skill of CPR, and we want every family and home to have someone who knows CPR. With the help of local supporters, we can help more of our community be prepared when called on for an emergency.

As the program manager of the Marshall Cardiology Fellowship Program at Marshall University and member of the American Heart Association West Virginia Advocacy Committee, I encourage you to Be the Beat by learning CPR to be the difference and save a life.

This article first appeared in the February 11, 2023, edition of the Herald Dispatch. 

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Ellen Thompson, MD

Dr. Thompson is a board-certified, fellowship-trained cardiologist. She is a professor at Marshall University Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine.

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