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How can someone who witnesses a cardiac arrest help?

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Robert O'Connor
Professor & Chair-Department of Emergency Medicine, UVA Health System
www.healthsystem.virginia.edu  
434-924-2427

The Emergency Medicine team is the first contact with the University Health System.  Approximately 61,000 patients come through our doors each year and over 15,000 are admitted for additional care to the hospital.

The 41 bed Emergency Department (ED) is located in the University of Virginia Hospital, a level-l trauma center.

How can someone who witnesses a cardiac arrest help?

In this video, Dr. Robert O'Connor, professor & chair of the Department of Emergency Medicine at the University of Virginia Health System, discusses how a bystander can help a victim of cardiac arrest.

This series: 15,147 views

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Host: How can someone who witnesses a cardiac arrest help?

Robert O'Connor: The first thing is they should just call for help, get a phone or ask someone to call 911 to get help on their way. The second step is if the person is unresponsive, they can't rise then, just begin chest compressions and if there is any doubt about how to do then stay on the phone with 911, most emergency dispatchers can instruct people on how to perform chest compressions. It's not so important to breathe for them. It's not so important to absolutely assess that they are in cardiac arrest. You don't have to determine that. With absolute certainty is best just to begin resuscitation, begin CPR because if you do that and promote some blood flow. Some blood flow occurs will helps on the way.

To watch the other segments in this video series or for How-to videos on almost any other topic, visit monkeysee.

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