UChicago Medicine installs hands-only CPR kiosk in the Center for Care and Discovery

Each year, more than 350,000 cardiac arrests occur outside the hospital, and almost 40% of those occur in public places. Effective cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) provided by a bystander in the first few minutes of cardiac arrest can double or triple a victim's chance of survival. However, less than 20% of Americans are equipped to perform CPR during a medical emergency.

That's why the University of Chicago Medicine, in partnership with the American Heart Association, has installed a hands-only CPR kiosk in the Center for Care and Discovery. It is one of three in Chicago.

The interactive kiosks are designed to train the public on this simple, life-saving technique.

Hands-only CPR is easy to learn, and it can be the difference between life and death for someone you love. The hands-only CPR kiosks remove barriers to training, which increases the likelihood that a bystander will respond in an emergency. It's our hope that this kiosk will train a whole new army of lifesavers here in Chicago."

Lisa Hinton, American Heart Association Metro Chicago executive director

The kiosk, located on the 7^th floor Sky Lobby, offers a hands-on video tutorial that explains how to assist a person suffering from cardiac arrest. Users are evaluated on a practice model, which monitors hand placement, compression rate and compression depth for proper CPR technique. The instructions follow the AHA's 2015 Guidelines for CPR, which recommend that chest compressions be performed at a rate of 100 to 120 beats per minute. If the user is performing the action incorrectly, the kiosk displays what the user needs to adjust to perfect the technique.

Cardiac arrests can happen anytime and anywhere. When the heart stops, blood can't circulate to vital organs. That's why the most important part of CPR is to get the oxygenated blood circulating to the brain, lungs and coronary arteries, which happens when the rescuer starts giving chest compressions as soon as possible."

Atman Shah, MD, interventional cardiologist, co-director of UChicago Medicine's cardiac catheterization laboratory

The Hyde Park-based academic medical center is one of a few places in the city of Chicago, including O'Hare International Airport, that has installed a CPR kiosk. By expanding the availability of this educational tool, more people can feel confident to administer hands-only CPR.

"We are excited by this new collaboration with the American Heart Association," said Jason Keeler, executive vice president and UChicago Medicine chief operating officer. "Our health system shares a mission with the AHA to advance the health of individuals and communities. And this CPR kiosk will be an invaluable resource to our patients and their families to help introduce CPR and possibly save a life."