Book 10, Question 46
Why Do People Take CPR Classes?
People take CPR classes to learn hands-on skills that can help keep blood and air moving until help arrives! CPR stands for cardiopulmonary resuscitation. In an emergency, tell a grown-up and call emergency services right away, and learn CPR from a certified class.
More fun facts
- If an adult is unresponsive and not breathing normally, experts say to call for emergency help and start CPR right away.
- In the US, more than 350,000 people have a cardiac arrest outside a hospital each year, and only about 40 percent get CPR from a bystander.
- CPR classes give people the skills and confidence to go from bystander to lifesaver.
- Many first aid classes also teach how to help someone who is choking.
- Restart a Heart Day is a yearly event in the UK that trains people in CPR.
- William Kouwenhoven, who once worked at NIST, helped invent the defibrillator, a device that shocks a heart back into rhythm.
Sources: BBC, NIST, U.S. Department of Energy, BBC
Questions kids ask
What should you do first if someone collapses?
Call for emergency help right away. If they are not breathing normally, CPR should start.