My name is Jordan Willoughby, and I am one of the U of A interns at EDGE this semester. One of my primary focus areas is within CPR education, which we are bringing to all Edge students the first week of April.
Last semester, I began volunteering for the Sarver Heart Center in the University of Arizona College of Medicine. It was founded in 1986 with the goal to conduct research, provide education, and deliver patient care in the area of cardiovascular health. As a student volunteer, I have had the opportunity to provide CPR training to various communities around Southern Arizona which is offered without cost. The CPR that we teach is different from the traditional methods of cardiopulmonary resuscitation that many people are familiar with. Our training is on what is known as Chest Compression Only CPR.
Through the Sarver Heart Center, studies have been conducted and shown that by performing chest compressions without any mouth-to-mouth breathing, the chance of survival for a person in cardiac arrest can significantly increase. In the event of someone going into cardiac arrest, time is of the essence. It was discovered that the use of mouth-to-mouth breathing takes away from the number of compressions that a person is receiving, which decreases their chance for survival. By prioritizing chest compressions, more blood can be moved throughout the body to keep tissues from dying. Chest compression only CPR is becoming a more widely used method to save lives and is a valuable skill.
We are very excited to bring this opportunity to the students of EDGE this semester with the assistance of CPR in Schools Kits donated by the American heart Association.
If there are any questions regarding chest compression only CPR, feel free to contact me any time at [email protected]. Linked below is the Sarver Heart Center website, which has a variety of information on cardiovascular health.