Santa Visits CPR Kiosk at BWI Airport to Teach LifeSaving Skill

Baltimore Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport is home to an American Heart Association Hands-Only CPR training kiosk, providing millions of passengers the opportunity to learn lifesaving Hands-Only CPR in about five minutes.

The interactive kiosk, supported by the Amerigroup Foundation,  was visted by Santa and two of his helpers from the North Pole on Friday, December 20, 2019, a time of busy, holiday travel. Santa helped to highlight how lives can be saved if more Americans know how to perform CPR and use an AED, or automated external defibrillator.

The kiosk, which is permanently located at the Southwest Terminal at Gate B7 has a touch screen with a video that provides a brief introduction and Hands-Only CPR overview, followed by a practice session and a 30-second test. With the help of a practice manikin, or a rubber torso, the kiosk gives feedback about the depth and rate of compressions and proper hand placement – factors that influence the effectiveness of CPR. The entire training takes about five minutes. Kiosk users can select to do the training in English or Spanish.

Each year, more than 350,000 cardiac arrests occur outside the hospital, and more than 20 percent occur in public places such as airports. Survival from cardiac arrest depends on immediately receiving CPR. Hands-Only CPR has been shown to be as effective as conventional CPR for cardiac arrest when it occurs in public, and CPR can double or triple a victim’s chance of survival.

Santa gifted travelers with CPR Anytime Kits to help continue to train more lifesavers.

 

 

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