Empowering Hispanic-Latino communities with lifesaving CPR skills

Recently, the American Heart Association, a global force for longer, healthier lives, led a Hands-Only CPR demonstration at an Embrace All Latino Voices event in Moncks Corner. Nine out of every 10 people who experience cardiac arrest outside of a hospital die, but bystander Hands-Only CPR can double or triple their chance of survival. Instructional videos were available in Spanish, Portuguese, and English, and French, Spanish, and Portuguese translators were on-site to assist throughout the demonstration. In addition to the live demonstration, all attendees were given American Heart Association CPR Anytime kits, enabling them to practice CPR at home, at work, and with friends or family. The kits were provided with support from Roper St. Francis Healthcare and the Heroes Saving Hearts initiative.

 Through the American Heart Association’s Heroes Saving Hearts initiative, Hispanic communities learn the importance of knowing CPR to ensure everyone is prepared if a loved one or neighbor has a cardiac emergency.

 Cardiac arrest is a serious medical emergency that happens due to an electrical malfunction in the heart. When a cardiac arrest occurs, the heart cannot properly pump blood to the brain, lungs and other organs, leading to death. Lifesaving measures, including immediate CPR, are critical to increasing someone’s chances of surviving.

 Unfortunately, in the U.S., Hispanic-Latino people are at a higher risk for dying from an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.^[1] One recent study found that people who experience a cardiac arrest in predominantly Hispanic-Latino neighborhoods were less likely to receive bystander CPR and had a lower likelihood of surviving the event.[2]

 The American Heart Association is a worldwide leader in CPR training and offers in-person and online programs for professionals and laypeople. Resources to help people become more comfortable performing CPR include:

• Instructional 90-second videos for Hands-only CPR in multiple languages are available here.
• The “Héroes Salvando Corazones/Heroes Saving Hearts” (Español)  campaign highlights Myths and Fears about calling 911 and other information to help the Hispanic-Latino community learn the two steps to Hands-Only CPR:

1) Call 9112) push hard and fast in the center of the chest to a beat of 100-120 beats per minute.

• An easy tool people can use to ensure they are staying between 100-120 compressions per minute, is to think of a song while performing the compressions. Some good examples include:
  • English: “Stayin’ Alive” by Bee Gees, “Crazy in Love” by Beyoncé with Jay-Z or “Hips Don’t Lie” by Shakira.
  • Español: “Mi Primer Millón” de Bacilos, “Ni Parientes Somos” de Los Tigres del Norte, “La Negra Tiene Tumbao” de Celia Cruz, “Rayando el sol” de Maná o “Dímelo” de Marc Anthony.^[3]

 “We want to encourage people to utilize the programs and resources the American Heart Association offers to increase everyone’s chances of surviving a cardiac emergency,” said Katie Schumacher, executive director, American Heart Association, Charleston. “We appreciate the support from Roper St. Francis Healthcare to bolster our efforts in CPR education.”

 

To find an in-person CPR course near you, go to cpr.heart.org. For more information about American Heart Association events in the Charleston area, visit heart.org/SouthCarolina or contact CharlestonSC@Heart.org.