![]() If the brain receives that oxygen, maybe it won't die within 4 to 6-minutes. With each compression of the chest, we hope to provide the brain with one more small delivery of oxygenated blood. The real point of CPR, or Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation, is to give the casualty a few more minutes. In most cases, they will remain unconscious throughout the process, up to and including the point when they are gurneyed into the ambulance by EMS and shuttled to a local Emergency Room. He or she is not likely to wake up and thank you. The purpose of CPR, as I like to make clear up front, is not about resuscitating the casualty. As soon as breathing stops, the clock starts ticking and the chances of survival begin diminishing rapidly. As CPR Instructors, we are familiar with the "window of survival," the 4 to 6-minute period between clinical death and biological death. The reality, unfortunately, is far from that. Just press on the chest a few times and the next thing you know the casualty is spitting out water and thanking you for your help. My short answer was, "Not even close." On TV and in the movies, CPR is often portrayed as a miracle cure. Later, when I began teaching CPR to groups and businesses, students would ask me how similar my experiences were to the fictions promoted by actors such as Pamela Anderson and David Hasselhoff.
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