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September 6, 2023
GREEN BAY – “Ah, ha, ha, ha, stayin’ alive, stayin’ alive, ah, ha, ha, ha, stayin’ alive, stayin’ alive.”
“Stayin Alive,” released in 1977 by the Bee Gees, is not only famous for its rhythm and lyrics, but it can also be used as a guide when performing life-saving CPR.
The lyrics could be heard on repeat late last month inside the Johnsonville Tailgate Village at Lambeau Field at the Green Bay Packers/Bellin Health hands-only CPR training event – which coincided with the Packers’ last public training camp practice.
“When giving hands-only CPR, the rhythm and beat of your chest compressions should equal about 100-120 beats per minute – about the same as Staying Alive,” Dillon Hock, a licensed athletic trainer with Bellin, said. “When a person stops breathing, there is about seven minutes of oxygen in their blood. It’s important to pump that oxygen throughout the body until help arrives.”
Hock said statistics show a person dies every 90 seconds in the United States from cardiac arrest.
“Anyone who can give CPR can potentially help save a life,” he said.
The walk-in training sessions, led by Bellin Health healthcare providers, lasted about five minutes and required no appointment or experience.
Participants learned the basics of hands-only CPR, focusing on chest compressions and recognizing signs of cardiac arrest.
“We’re proud to host this event along with Bellin Health to reinforce the significance of prompt action,” Packers President/CEO Mark Murphy said. “In a cardiac emergency, even those of us who do not have any advanced medical training or experience can provide initial life-saving efforts until first responders arrive.”
Chris Woleske, Bellin region president, said events like these are crucial in empowering people to react swiftly and confidently during emergencies.
“The collaboration between Bellin Health and the Packers is a testament to our shared commitment to the well-being of our communities,” she said.
Following the sudden cardiac arrest suffered by Damar Hamlin of the Buffalo Bills earlier this year, the Packers and Bellin Health – as did many other organizations throughout the country – took steps to provide life-saving resources to surrounding communities.
This included the distribution of automated external defibrillators (AEDs) to 80 organizations in the region and conducted comprehensive training sessions to equip individuals with the skills and tools needed to respond effectively to sudden cardiac arrests.
The Green Bay Packers/Bellin Health hands-only CPR Training event coincided with the Packers’ last public training camp practice. Shown here is Zach Tom riding an undersized bike on his way to a 2022 training camp practice. Rich Palzewic Photo
Hock said Hamlin’s incident proved it can happen to anybody.
“Just like that, a healthy 20-something-year-old NFL player went down with cardiac arrest,” he said. “It could be your child, a loved one, your significant other or a stranger off the street.”
Incidents like these, Hock said, prove why CPR knowledge is important for anybody and everybody to have.
How it’s done
Hock said the first step when performing CPR is “simple” – call 911.
“Either call 911 yourself, put your cell phone on speaker or have someone else call,” he said. “Secondly, put your hands in the center of the person’s chest and do nice, hard compressions (about two inches deep) in the middle of the chest – it’s that simple. If you aim for 120 compressions per minute, that’s about two compressions per second.”
Hock said there are only three reasons to stop CPR.
“You should only stop if the person wakes up and comes back to life, EMS or someone shows up to take over compressions or you physically can’t continue,” he said.
According to the American Heart Association’s CPR & First Aid Emergency Cardiovascular Care website (cpr.heart.org), when performing CPR on a baby you should use two fingers, and one hand, going about one-third the depth you do for an adult, on a child.
Other CPR facts/statistics from the website include:
In one year alone, 436,000 Americans die from cardiac arrest.More than 350,000 cardiac arrests occur outside of hospitals each year.If performed immediately, CPR can double or triple the chance of survival from an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.There are about 10,000 cardiac arrests in the workplace annually in the United States.
Hitting close to home
Though many people go through life without having to perform CPR or deal with a cardiac arrest, for many – including Mark Husen, Bellin Health team facilitator for athletic training business and growth development – that’s not the case.
“My wife had two cardiac incidents several years ago,” Husen said. “The first occurred when she was running the Green Bay Cellcom Marathon. She was bent over and had lower blood pressure – she hit the ground and spent four or five days in the hospital trying to figure things out. We found out months later it was lower blood pressure.”
A year later, Husen said his wife had another cardiac incident.
“She was swimming in a pool at the YMCA,” he said. “Her heart started racing – they got her on the pool deck and used the AED. She was shocked four times, and it saved her life.”
Husen said he takes pride in talking about CPR.
“You only need a few minutes to learn about it,” he said.
Husen said some people may feel intimidated by CPR and might panic, but it doesn’t have to be that way.
“There are a lot of places where a cardiac arrest could happen,” he said. “With that being said, everyone should know the basics. CPR/AED certification might take three or four hours – it’s a bit of a time commitment. Hands-only CPR is quick and easy.”
Husen said if a person can’t commit to the certification training or get to an in-person event like the one held at Lambeau Field, you can find tutorial videos on the AHA website.
Hearing from participants
With the event coinciding with the Packers’ last public training camp practice, several fans popped in to learn the life-saving skill – something Bellin and Packers representatives were hoping would happen.
“We came for the whole training camp,” Pewaukee’s Barbara Albrecht said. “I came in to get water, and I noticed all the people doing it. I didn’t pre-register, so I didn’t think I could do it until someone approached me and asked… I hope I never have to use it, but if I have to, it’s nice to know what to do.”
Tom Petri from Indianapolis comes to training camp yearly and also attended the CPR event.
“My wife had to perform CPR once,” he said. “Luckily, the individual survived the cardiac arrest situation, so it’s a skill everyone should know. I think a lot of people are intimidated and scared to do it, but at a basic level, it’s easy to do.”
