This past week, Princess Cruises hosted the second annual Cruising For A Cause aboard the Ruby Princess. This year’s sailing was in partnership with the American Heart Association, actively promoting heart health throughout the week in the western Caribbean.
One of the most prominent and popular activities hosted throughout the week was the Hands Only CPR training course, hosted and led by the American Heart Association team and the Ruby Princess’ medical staff. During the hands on training sessions, guests were given the opportunity to learn how to administer CPR to an unresponsive victim and practice on a lifelike mannequin.
Each training session was packed with eager guests, ready to learn what it takes to save a life. The American Heart Association kicked off each session with a dance performance of Saturday Night Fever’s Staying Alive. Not only did the catchy song match the mission of the session, but the song’s beats per minute, approximately 100, match the number of chest compressions required when administering CPR to a victim. As the Lido Deck came alive with the music of the Bee Gees’, guests began taking the necessary steps to resuscitate their victim.
After a number of supervised run through’s, the guests of the Ruby Princess began to feel confident in their newly acquired lifesaving skills. The American Heart Association congratulated each participant and reminded guests not to hesitate in acting when a situation requires CPR. If we don’t act in a life or death situation, the chances of a victim’s survival rate quickly diminishes. Holly Woytek, a physical education teacher and licensed CPR instructor at St. Ignatius High School, reminds her CPR trainees, “If not you, then who?”
By the end of the Ruby Princess’ sailing, the American Heart Association and the Ruby Princess medical team successfully trained approximately 400 guests in the administration of CPR.
CPR Quick Facts:
- 89% of cardiac arrest victims won’t survive, due to delayed action from another person on the scene.
- 80% of instances where CPR is required will be performed by somebody you already know.
- Hands only CPR has been proven to be as successful as traditional CPR in instances of cardiac arrest.
- Using hands only CPR for sudden cardiac arrest can sometimes double or triple the chance of survival for a victim.
