Business & Tech

Chelsea Piers CT Wants to Teach 10,000 CPR, Set Record in Stamford

On August 25th, Chelsea Piers Connecticut will look to break the record books and help save lives in Fairfield County

As August comes to a close and the summer wraps up, the new sports mecca Chelsea Piers Connecticut will look to set a world record by teaching 10,000 people in a 24-hour period how to perform Hands-Only CPR at Hands for Life: Stamford 2012.

Bystander CPR prior to EMS arrival is one of the most important factors in saving a life when the patients heart stops, Stamford Hospital said in a release supporting the record-setting attempt.

“The solution,” explains Stamford Mayor Michael Pavia, “is to make Stamford the heart healthiest city in our nation by training thousands in effective, simple-to-apply Hands-Only CPR, so more people can be helped instantly, doubling or even tripling their chances for survival.

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Only 25-percent of cardiac events have a bystander on-scene capable of performing CPR in Stamford, while in Seattle, Washington, 55 to 60-percent of all arrests and 80-percent of witnessed arrests have someone capable on scene, according to Stamford Hospital statistics. 

Corollary results show that in Seattle, Washington there is a 45-percent survival rate in cardiac events while Stamford has an 8-percent survival rate. Additionally, studies show that survival rates fall 10-percent every minute a patient goes without CPR during a cardiac event.

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"Each year 785,000 Americans suffer from a heart attack and nearly 300,000 of these suffer sudden cardiac arrest at the same time, often outside a hospital setting," said event co-director Dr. Thomas Nero, cardiologist. "Less than one in four receives CPR (Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation) from a bystander, and only about five percent of cardiac arrest victims survive."

To improve survival raters, there are three main factors:

  • Identify the symptoms of a heart attack
  • Early activation of 911
  • Early resuscitation efforts, if necessary

"The problem is, many people feel helpless to act during a cardiac emergency, because they do not know how to administer CPR, do not feel confident in their skills, or are afraid," Nero said. "By working together, however, communities like Stamford can greatly improve these odds." 

Chelsea Piers is looking to foster the spread knowledge and improve Fairfield County's survival rates over the long term by looking to educate 10,000 adults in the proper form of Hands-Only CPR.The current record is 7,909 people taught during a Singapore Heart Foundation event in January of 2011.

Because the process can be learned in a relatively short time period, Hands for Life: Stamford 2012 is hoping to make it to the record books. To help make it there, you can sign up for the event at www.handsforlife.org.


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