Awareness of hands-only CPR is being raised through a series of clever ads starring well-known personalities. Earlier this year, the British Heart Foundation released an instructional video aimed at British audiences starring actor, soccer star Vinnie Jones.
The American Heart Association originally released their hands-only CPR video starring Ken Jeong in 2011. Ken Jeong is not only an American actor, starring in the movie “Hangover” and TV show “Community”, but also a trained physician. The video is funny, instructive and memorable, and a great way to get the word out about hands-only CPR.
As of this date, the Ken Jeong video has been seen over 750,000 times on YouTube.
Benefits of Hands Only CPR
The medical and CPR community promotes hands-only CPR to the public using short videos starring well-known personalities. Hands-only CPR offers several benefits: it’s easy for bystanders with limited or no training to do when being given instruction by an emergency dispatcher; can be performed when a face shield isn’t available; and maintains constant blood flow during the critical first few minutes of cardiac arrest. Recent research indicates that hands-only CPR may be more effective than traditional CPR consisting of chest compression plus assisted breathing, because it helps maintain constant blood flow without rescue breath interruption.
Performing hands-only CPR is simple:
- Call 911 (or 999 in the UK)
- Start chest compressions, at least 2 inches deep, to the beat of the Bee Gee’s Stayin’ Alive, until help arrives or the victim recovers.
