National CPR & AED Awareness Week is June 1–7
The American Heart Association presented Orange County Sheriff Deputy Andrew Eberhardt with their HeartSaver Hero Award for using his CPR skills to help a man when he suddenly collapsed from cardiac arrest. The award was presented Thursday, June 6th at the Orange County Government Center.
“We present this award during CPR and AED Awareness week to raise awareness for the need for CPR training and to recognize outstanding efforts to aid in the rescue of a life. The American Heart Association acknowledges our hometown heroes, like Deputy Eberhardt, for their willingness to take quick action in the life-or-death situation when cardiac arrest strikes,” said MaryKate Revella, American Heart Association Executive Leadership Team member.
Eberhardt immediately came to aid the victim, John McCarey, Director of Real Property Services after he suffered from sudden cardiac arrest on April 3rd at the Government Center. Eberhardt began CPR and used an automatic external defibrillator on McCarey while other Orange County staff assisted until an ambulance arrived on the scene. Also involved in the save were Orange County staff Doreen Hamel, Sheri Hentschel, Mary Pat Smith, and from the Sheriff Department, Dennis Barry and Kenneth Jones. In this “Chain of Survival,” they called 9-1-1, began CPR, retrieved the AED on site, used the AED, and continued CPR until an ambulance arrived.
“Cardiac arrest can strike anyone at any time. The best chance of survival is if someone nearby acts quickly to call 9-1-1- and performs CPR immediately,” said Revella, “That could mean the difference between life and death for some family’s loved one. We can all be trained to save a life just like Deputy Eberhardt.”
The AHA states that many more lives can be saved if more Americans know CPR and how to use an automated external defibrillator (AED). Only about 46 percent of people who experience an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest receive the immediate help that they need before professional help arrives. CPR, especially if performed immediately, can triple a cardiac arrest victim’s chance of survival. Every second counts since the victim’s heart is not pumping oxygenated blood enough to sustain the victim’s life. Victim’s need immediate bystander intervention to survive.
The AHA reports that nearly 400,000 people a year die of sudden cardiac arrest in the United States. Only about 46% of people who experience an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest receive the immediate help they need before professional help arrives. When a person has a cardiac arrest, CPR could triple their chance of survival.
Since 2008, the AHA has recommended Hands-Only CPR–CPR without breaths—for teen and adult victims of cardiac arrest. It teaches two basic steps: First, call 9-1-1, and then push hard and fast on the center of the chest until professional help or an AED arrives. The AHA encourages everyone to view a 90-second Hands-Only CPR instructional video at www.heart.org/handsonlycpr.
The American Heart Association is the worldwide leader in CPR resuscitation science and training. For nearly two decades, the Heart Association advocated for the CPR in Schools Law which went into effect in 2016 in New York State. The law ensures that all high schools students receive Hands-Only CPR training prior to graduation. Thirty-eight states now have lifesaving CPR in Schools laws.