Kenmore-Town of Tonawanda UFSD
Providing our students with the supports, tools, and diverse opportunities needed to meet the challenges of an ever-changing world
- Kenmore Town of Tonawanda UFSD
- Overview
Emily Rose Foundation Provides Life-Saving Hands-Only CPR Training for Students
The Kenmore West students received the training over a week-long during physical education classes from trained professionals through the Emily Rose Foundation. They were taught how to perform hands-only CPR, which focuses on performing chest compressions only in order to prolong life and provide enough precious minutes for rescuers to arrive – the difference of life and death in all too many occurrences.
When one suffers cardiac arrest, their heart has ceased to circulate blood throughout their body including their head, causing them to lose consciousness and to stop breathing. CPR previously emphasized chest compressions and artificial respiration through mouth-to-mouth breathing, which is still extremely effective in many scenarios. Research, however, has shown that focusing only on chest compressions increases survival rates since it is simpler and more likely to be performed by bystanders and eliminates interruptions in the vital compressions that keep the blood flowing to the brain.
When one loses consciousness and stops breathing due to cardiac arrest, there will likely still be sufficient oxygen in their blood to prevent irreversible brain damage and keep them alive for several more minutes until first responders to arrive. By performing hands-only CPR, students learn to perform effective chest compressions and to keep that oxygenated blood flowing to the brain.