February is American Heart Month. It's a month to focus on heart health, but also what to do in a heart emergency.
Michael McLeieer, Fire & Life Safety Expert with E.S.C.A.P.E. Fire Safety, shared some tips:
The CDC and American Heart Association say:
- 350,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests occur in the United States each year
- 9 out of every 10 people who experience cardiac arrest outside of a hospital die, in part because they don't receive immediate CPR
- Heart disease is the leading cause of death for men, women and people of most racial and ethnic groups
- High blood pressure is the leading cause of heart disease
Tips to reduce cardiac arrest and heart disease:
- Control blood pressure
- Manage cholesterol
- Be active
- Don't smoke or use tobacco
- Limit alcohol use
- Eat a healthy diet
- Maintain a healthy weight
Remember, you are the first responder until additional help arrives.
Learn CPR and how to use an AED (Automated External Defibrillator):
- Immediate CPR and AED use doubles or triples a person's chance of survival
- Hands-only CPR requires two steps (once a patient becomes unconscious and is not breathing)
- Call 911
- Push hard & fast in the center of the chest
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