Save MO Hearts is a MU Health Care outreach program that teaches the public to assist someone who has suffered sudden cardiac arrest by performing hands-only CPR until professional medical help arrives.
Cardiovascular disease is the No. 1 cause of death in Missouri, according the American Heart Association. In Columbia, Missouri, the survival rate after a sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) is only 12 percent. After a person collapses, his or her survival rate shrinks 10 percent for every minute CPR is not performed.
Save MO Hearts wants to improve those numbers through education. If you would like to schedule a Save MO Hearts training session for your group, please submit the form below.
WHAT TO DO IF SOMEONE COLLAPSES
- If you see someone collapse, don't step aside and wait for someone else to help. Now that you are here and learning what to do in this situation, don't be afraid to be the one who jumps in to assist.
- See if they will respond to you. Tap them on the shoulders and ask them if they're okay. If they don't verbally or visually respond to you, see if they're breathing normally and not gasping for air.
- If they aren't breathing normally, point to someone around and tell them to call 9-1-1. Point to another person and tell them to find an automated external defibrillator (AED), if there is one.
- Begin CPR and continue until help arrives or the patient begins to respond. Don't stop until either occurs. Once an AED is obtained, turn it on and listen to the instructions.
IF YOU ARE ALONE
- Call 9-1-1 first. Put them on speakerphone, if available, and begin CPR until help arrives.
- Push hard and fast! That's all that matters — no ratio for breaths to compressions, proper seal for mouth-to-mouth, head tilt or 2-inch compressions — just push hard and fast. Don't worry about pushing too hard. Not pushing hard enough will hurt them even more.
EVENTS
We offer free training in hands-only CPR at events throughout the year. Check back for future events.
COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS
MU Health Care and Boone County Joint Communications have also collaborated to educate and arm the public with tools to improve the odds of survival for those who suffer a heart attack, or cardiac arrest. Boone County Joint Communications adopted PulsePoint, which is a free-to-download mobile application designed to notify users when someone nearby is experiencing cardiac arrest. If the emergency is in a public place, the application will alert trained citizens while simultaneously dispatching emergency crews to the location. The application also directs bystanders to the exact location of the closest public Automated External Defibrillator (AED).
