November has been designated a lot of things: pancreatic cancer awareness month, national novel-writing month, and even national pomegranate month in the United States.
In Canada, November is also CPR month.
CPR, or cardiopulmonary resuscitation, is an emergency procedure which is performed as a way to preserve brain function until further measures can be taken to restore spontaneous blood circulation and breathing in a person in cardiac arrest.
According to the Canadian Red Cross, over 50,000 Canadians die of coronary disease every year. In large urban centres, the average ambulance response time is over eight minutes, yet permanent brain damage can occur four to six minutes after breathing stops.
Effective bystander CPR, when used in conjunction with an Automatic External Defibrillator (AED) and administered immediately following cardiac arrest, can double a person's chance of survival, the Red Cross notes.
Knowing CPR is a valuable skill, noted local paramedic Derek Dagenais of Humboldt and District Ambulance Service. And it seems like more and more people know CPR these days.
"We are seeing a lot of bystander CPR now," Dagenais said, he feels due to the fact that health and safety training many take for their work requires a knowledge of the skill. "People are transferring that to their homes and personal lives," he said.
That means a better chance of survival for someone in distress, as they are already receiving care while the ambulance responds.
Nationally, survival rates are going up because more bystander CPR is going on, and more and more AEDs are being installed in different places. In Humboldt AEDs are kept at the Uniplex, as well as several workplaces, Dagenais reported.
"The simple things are working," he said. "CPR, done well and early, and AEDs.... If nothing is done prior to us getting there, a patient's survival rate drastically decreases."
Even if someone does not know CPR before a crisis, they can still help, he added.
The 9-1-1 dispatchers can give instructions on what to do for someone in that situation.
But CPR isn't the only thing in what emergency medical personnel call the "chain of survival."
In that chain, the first two steps are recognizing that someone is having a heart attack or a stroke, and calling 9-1-1 for medical assistance immediately.
The third step in the chain would be CPR, if someone does go into cardiac arrest before help arrives.
One part of the chain of survival plays into another, Dagenais explained, and the earlier the recognition of a stroke or heart attack, and the sooner help is called, the better the outcome.
"People are starting to recognize when a person is having a heart attack," he said. "When they're sweaty, have chest pain, are short of breath or dizzy and fainting... (and) people move through the system more quickly and efficiently when people realize these things."
If a person is showing signs of a heart attack or stroke, they need to enter the health care system, Dagenais noted. They shouldn't shrug it off, but treat it seriously.
"When in doubt, seek medical care for a person," he advised.
There have been a couple of recent situations locally where, because the ambulance was called quickly, a patient went into cardiac arrest just as crews were arriving, and survived because of that early recognition and the timely arrival of help.
"The chain of survival is working and has made a difference in outcomes," he said.
"Early recognition is key, not just CPR."
Five signs of stroke
(from the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada)
Weakness: arms or legs, numbness in face
Trouble speaking
Vision problems
Headache
Dizziness
Heart attack warning signs
(from the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada)
Chest discomfort (pressure, squeezing, fullness, pain, burning or heaviness)
Discomfort in other areas of the upper body
Shortness of breath
Sweating
Nausea
Light-headedness
