All high school students should be trained in CPR

Published April 21, 2012  * Duluth News Tribune

The Minnesota Legislature just approved a bill to teach cardiopulmonary resuscitation in schools. I urge Gov. Mark Dayton to support the bill and create the next generation of lifesavers.


All Minnesota high school students should be trained in CPR prior to graduation. What most people don’t realize is that in about the same amount of time it takes to watch the average television sitcom, students can get trained in CPR. Less than one-third of out-of-hospital sudden cardiac arrest victims receive bystander CPR, making the survival rate of sudden cardiac arrest less than 6 percent. Bystander CPR can triple survival from cardiac arrest.

Students can be taught using a DVD course and mannequin dummies by an instructor, by local fire or emergency medical service personnel or even by another student who has completed the training. Research shows people who have learned CPR in nontraditional settings are just as likely to use it during an emergency.

When bystander CPR is used as an integral part of a chain of survival, survival rates can exceed 50 percent.
I urge Gov. Dayton to sign this bill into law and create the next generation of lifesavers by ensuring all Minnesota high school students are trained in CPR prior to graduation.

Kim Gear

http://www.duluthnewstribune.com/event/article/id/229265/group/Opinion/