Acadian Ambulance hosts hands-only CPR training

MONROE, La. (KNOE) - The Acadian Ambulance service partnered with St. Francis Medical Center and Veterans of Foreign Wars Post today to educate people on how to perform CPR with only their hands.

Officials say the hands-only method is as effective as conventional CPR for cardiac arrest at home, work or in public spaces.

Community Relations Supervisor Justin Nowlin with Acadian Ambulance says the American Heart Association did a study where they found using only chest compressions had better results than mouth to mouth.

“They’ve come up with this to teach the community how to do something to revive somebody should they go into cardiac arrest. It’s something that we can teach in about five minutes, and it will potentially save someone’s life,” Nowlin said.

“We went from resuscitation rates of about 7% doing mouth and chest compressions to now with chest compressions only they’ve got resuscitation rates of up to 25%. So, it’s made a big difference,” Nowlin said.

Members of the ambulance showed community members how to do hands-only CPR.

“You take the heel of your hand. Place it in the middle of the chest, right at the nipple line. You’ll put your other hand. Then, you press hard and fast at a rate of around 100 beats a minute. You can sing the song Stayin’ Alive to keep up with the tempo, and you want to go at least 2 inches deep. Then when you come up, you want to make sure to let all the way up off the chest, so it allows the heart to fill with the blood.”

Officials say stopping of the heart is one of the highest causes of death in the nation, so knowing CPR is beneficial.

“The reason this is so important is whenever your heart stops beating... you have anywhere from about four to six minutes to be able to get somebody to do something and that person, that patient, that loved one having a chance of being able to walk out of the hospital,” Nowlin said.

Nowlin says having people in the community who know CPR can start doing life-saving measures before the fire department and the ambulance arrives.

He plans to have more events like this one throughout the community during the year.

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