Last April, Matt Lickenbrock, a University of Dayton student, saved the life of fellow student Sean Ferguson using Hands-Only CPR, a lifesaving technique that he learned from an instructional airport kiosk.
This week, Lickenbrock showed Ferguson how to train in Hands-Only CPR at a new kiosk at Indianapolis International Airport.
Seven U.S. sites will feature the kiosks donated through American Heart Association’s national partnership with the Anthem Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Anthem, Inc.
The kiosk features a touch screen with a video that gives a brief “how-to,” followed by a practice session and a 30-second CPR test. With the help of a practice manikin, or a rubber torso, the kiosk provides feedback about the depth and rate of compressions and proper hand placement – factors that influence the effectiveness of CPR.
Cardiac arrest is a leading cause of death with over 350,000 out-of-hospital cases occurring every year in the U.S. More than 20 percent occur in public places like airports, casinos and sporting facilities. When a teen or adult has a cardiac arrest, survival depends on immediately receiving CPR from someone nearby. Survival rates drop as much as 10 percent for every minute that goes by without intervention.
“Bystander CPR performed immediately after cardiac arrest can double or triple a person’s chance of surviving cardiac arrest and, making these kiosks available is another way we can help improve cardiac arrest survival rates,” said Craig Samitt, M.D., executive vice president and chief clinical officer at Anthem.
With Anthem support, a kiosk is already installed at Chicago O’Hare International and three more are planned for Las Vegas’ McCarran International; Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International; and Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall. Two additional kiosks will be available at The Global Center for Health Innovation in Cleveland, Ohio; and Anthem’s office in Washington, D.C.
The pilot program kiosk was installed in 2013 at Dallas/Ft. Worth International Airport by AHA and American Airlines Occupation Health Services. That kiosk has trained more than 25,000 travelers.
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These CPR Kiosks were also featured in USA TODAY. Click here to read the article.