To learn CPR, visit our area friends at:

• American Red Cross
• American Heart Association

CPR for the layperson no longer includes mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, only chest compressions.

Cardiac arrest is a condition where the heart stops; a patient is no longer breathing and does not have a pulse. Time is critical for these patients and the 911 system must be activated quickly and chest compressions started immediately. Survival decreases approximately 10 percent every second chest compressions are withheld from a patient in cardiac arrest.

Cardiac arrest management is extremely difficult and even under the best circumstances survivability is low. Greenville County EMS uses evidence based techniques such as therapeutic hypothermia and aggressive CPR to improve outcomes. Greenville County EMS also has an internationally accredited dispatch system to help the layperson recognize cardiac arrest and provide effective chest compressions.