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Statistics show that approximately 75% of all sudden cardiac arrests happen at home. Of those, approximately 95% will die before reaching a hospital. Dying from a sudden cardiac arrest is not unalterable. If more people were trained and certified in CPR, more lives could be saved.

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation, better known as CPR, is a term the vast majority of the population is familiar with but do not know how to perform. According to the American Heart Association, brain death can begin to occur within 4 minutes of a sudden cardiac arrest and for every minute CPR or defibrillation is delayed the victim's chances of survival drop 7% to 10%. CPR certification is not difficult to obtain and the time and money invested in becoming CPR certified is well worth the sacrifice if you are ever in a position to administer CPR in an attempt to save the life of another.

The preferred method of obtaining certification is to attend a CPR certification class sponsored by either the American Heart Association or the American Red Cross. Both of these organizations make sure their training courses meet International Guidelines Conference on Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and Emergency Cardiovascular Care (ECC) standards.

There are different levels of certification for you to choose from:

*Basic First Aid certification - this course does not teach CPR. Taking this course you will learn first aid treatment of burns, choking, puncture wounds, bites, fractures, head injury, nose bleeds and cuts.

*Adult CPR certification - you will learn how to safely and effectively perform CPR on an adult.

*Health Provider certification - you do not have to be a health provider to take this course. This course teaches you the basics of adult, child and infant CPR and automated emergency defibrillation (use of the "shock" machines many public places now have).

*Comprehensive BCLS (basic cardiac life support) - the only difference in this course and the health provider certification is this course covers basic first aid in addition to CPR for infants, children and adults.

If you have never obtained CPR certification, the most preferred way to become certified is to attend a hands-on class. Attending a class will give you the advantage of practicing your CPR skills on a "dummy" (a manikin made especially for CPR training). Hands-on practice is very important to learn proper hand placement and depth of compressions by feel. It isn't enough to just read how it's done.

Locating a class near is as easy as calling your local hospital, nursing home or medical clinic. These facilities provide periodic classes following the recommendations outlined by the American Heart Association and the American Red Cross to their employees and in many cases also offer public courses.

There is an online training site at www.cprtoday.com that offers online certification. According to the website, it is highly recommended as "a valid alternative" to certification by the American Red Cross and the American Heart Association. This website offers the various levels of certification. The primary drawback is the lack of hands-on training.

Everyone should be familiar with basic CPR and first aid. Classes are offered in most areas several times a year. Thanks to technology, online classes are now available for certification in first aid and CPR. Taking these classes will arm you with life-saving tools should you ever need them. A medical emergency can happen at any place, at any time. Sacrificing a few hours of your time to learn and become certified in first aid and CPR might someday save the life of a loved one.

Learn more about this author, Valerie Johnson.
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