Heart & Stroke

Are you prepared to save a life?

Image: Are you prepared to save a life?

It’s CPR Awareness Month!

The campaign challenges all individuals to get their CPR training so that we can work together to save more lives. We’ve put together some frequently asked questions about CPR and CPR training:

1. What does CPR stand for?

CPR stands for cardiopulmonary resuscitation. The term cardio refers to the heart, and pulmonary refers to the lungs. CPR is the same as Basic Cardiac Life Support (BCLS). CPR is a combination of breathing and chest compressions (Prepare First Aid Training).

2. What are the 3 steps of CPR?

Remember CAB:

C: do chest compressions

A: check the airway

B: do rescue breathing

Source: Kids Health

3. When should someone use CPR?

The steps in CPR (compressions, airway, and breathing) should be used whenever someone is not breathing and when the heart is not beating.

Someone can stop breathing and/or have cardiac arrest from:

  • heart attacks
  • strokes (when the blood flow to a part of the brain suddenly stops)
  • choking on something that blocks the entire airway
  • near-drowning incidents (when someone is underwater for too long and stops breathing)
  • a very bad neck, head, or back injury
  • severe electrical shocks (like from touching a power line)
  • being very sick from a serious infection
  • too much bleeding
  • severe allergic reactions
  • swallowing a drug or chemical

Source: Kids Health

4. Why is learning CPR important?

Learning CPR is easy and inexpensive. The short time it takes to learn CPR could make a real difference to someone’s life. Since most cardiac arrests happen at home, you could be saving the life of a friend or family member. (Canadian Red Cross)

5.How can I become CPR certified?

Check out the Canadian Red Cross website to find a course near you.