Free CPR Training for Duke Employees

You’re walking across campus on a lunch break and suddenly see an individual experience cardiac arrest and become unresponsive. How do you respond?Duke University and Health System employees can sign up for free CPR training sessions on Dec. 5 and learn the guidelines to compression-only CPR, which is CPR without mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. Immediate CPR can double to triple a sudden cardiac arrest victim’s chance of survival, according to the American Heart Association.“The community is our first responder,” said Leatrice Martin, director of the Duke Heart Center Community Outreach and Education Program. “With Duke employees being ambassadors of Duke and being ambassadors of our community, let’s train our employees.”Interested staff and faculty must register by Dec. 4 with the Duke Heart Center, which is offering the training in the Duke Medicine Pavilion. The training is scheduled in hour-long slots, starting at 10 a.m. and going until 4 p.m.During the free training, participants will form teams and respond to different hypothetical situations painted on and off campus. They will learn steps of using compression-only CPR, dialing 911, and deploying an automated external defibrillator (AED). Instructors will also discuss how to use the Heimlich maneuver to help someone who’s choking. The CPR classes are supported by Burt’s Bees, and each attendee will receive a free Burt’s Bees gift pack that contains three types of lip balm. Individuals will also get a wallet card outlining CPR steps.CPR guidelines were updated in 2010 to compression-only CPR because the simpler technique may help community responders overcome panic and hesitation to act, according to the American Heart Association. The Duke Heart Center follows these guidelines and began offering free training to large Duke groups in 2011.“We make it very interactive,” Martin said. “After the training, we have employees pledge to go out and share this CPR information with a family member.”

The next free training sessions will be held in June during National CPR and AED Awareness Month. The Duke Heart Center will release more information in May.