June 1-7th is National CPR and AED Awareness Week— a great reminder that you can save a life with CPR.

Cardiac arrest is a leading cause of death in the US. Timely CPR can double or triple the survival rate from cardiac arrest. In the community AND in the medical setting, high quality, effective CPR is the key to a successful resuscitation.

Hands- Only CPR is CPR with compressions only, and in the community, it has been shown to be as effective as conventional CPR. If you see an adolescent or adult suddenly collapse, there are 2 simple steps to follow:

– Call 911

– Push hard and fast in the center of the chest

You should push hard and fast at a rate of 100-120 beats per minute. When I teach CPR in the hospital, we tell students do compressions to a song like “Stayin’ Alive” by the Bee Gees, but there are a lot of other songs to CPR to that may suit your fancy:

– “Fly” by Nicki Minaj
– “Float On” by Modest Mouse
– “One Touch” by LCD Soundsystem
– “I Will Survive” by Gloria Gaynor

(“Stayin’ Alive” and “I Will Survive” seem particularly appropriate, don’t you think?)

Learn more at the American Heart Association website: heart.org/handsonlycpr

And remember- You can do it! #CPRsaveslives

–Lena