Tanner News

Will you be a lifesaver?

On Feb. 13, Tanner Health System will offer a chance to learn how to save lives with free hands-only CPR training at four convenient locations throughout west Georgia and east Alabama.

CPR — or cardiopulmonary resuscitation — is used to help keep a heart pumping in instances of sudden cardiac arrest, when the heart abruptly stops.

Sudden cardiac arrest can be caused by electrolyte imbalances, electrical shock, extreme stress to the body, a severe lack of oxygen (such as after drowning or asphyxiation), cardiac rhythm disturbances, structural heart disease and more.

Effective CPR provided immediately after sudden cardiac arrest can triple a person’s chances of survival. Unfortunately, only 32% of people who experience sudden cardiac arrest receive CPR — whether from a friend, loved one or stranger. That’s why fewer than 10% of people who experience sudden cardiac arrest outside the hospital survive.

Four out of every five cases of sudden cardiac arrest occur in the home. That means, odds are, the life you save with CPR is probably going to be someone you know — a child, parent or other loved one.

The good news is that nearly 45% of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest victims survive when bystander CPR is administered — and anyone can be the bystander who makes a difference.

Each family or office group registered will receive a free CPR training kit, featuring a take-home DVD, training mannequin and more. Training will be led by cardiology experts from Tanner. The training does not provide certification in CPR, but does teach the fundamentals you need to save a life.

Each Feb. 13 class will begin at 6 p.m. and will last about one hour. The locations are Bremen, Carrollton, Villa Rica and Wedowee.

For more information and to register now for free CPR training, visit tanner.org/cpr. Light refreshments will be available.