NFL Player Ambassadors urge fans to learn lifesaving CPR in 90 seconds

American Heart Association and NFL team up to boost CPR readiness on World Restart a Heart Day

2024-10-16

(Press-News.org) DALLAS, October 16, 2024 — More than half of all people who experiencing sudden cardiac arrest outside of hospital don’t receive immediate cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). As a result, 9 out of 10 times they die[1]. Yet it takes just 90 seconds to learn the fundamentals of Hands-Only CPR to save a life. CPR, especially if performed immediately, can double or triple a person’s chance of survival. To save more lives, the American Heart Association and the National Football League (NFL) are actively putting boots on the ground - cleats on the field - to educate more Americans about this lifesaving skill.

More Americans than ever say they are now ready to perform CPR in emergencies, according to newly released survey data from the American Heart Association, celebrating 100 years of lifesaving service as a global force for healthier lives for all[2]. Recent efforts by the Association to create a Nation of Lifesavers™ with partners like the NFL have boosted CPR readiness. The percentage of surveyed adults in the U.S. who say they now feel they have the confidence to perform CPR increased from 30% to 35% from 2021 to 2023[3]. In observance of World Restart a Heart Day, which takes place annually on Oct. 16, the Association unveils its 2024-2025 Nation of Lifesaver Ambassador Class, comprised of current NFL players, who will continue to support efforts to build awareness of lifesaving CPR. Ambassadors will support the Heart Association’s call to action to learn CPR by amplifying public service announcements (PSAs), social media content and local community education events.

The American Heart Association launched the Nation of Lifesavers™ movement in 2023 following the sudden cardiac arrest of Buffalo Bills’ player Damar Hamlin during Monday Night Football™. As the global leader in creating resuscitation science, education and training and with more than 60 years of CPR education and training experience, the Association also publishes the official guidelines for CPR. The Nation of Lifesavers and the collaboration with the NFL is the Association’s most recent demonstration of its commitment to CPR education with the goal to double survival rates of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest by 2030[4].

“CPR education is crucial to saving lives and improving outcomes in a cardiac emergency,” said Nancy Brown, chief executive officer of the American Heart Association. “At the American Heart Association, our health is about improving yours. Together with the NFL and this ambassador class, we are proud to empower communities to act fast and be ready and able to respond with the lifesaving skill of CPR.

Members of the 2024-2025 Nation of Lifesaver Ambassador Class are:

Arizona Cardinals - DeeJay Dallas, running back Atlanta Falcons - Bradley Pinion, punter Buffalo Bills - Damar Hamlin, safety. In addition to representing the Bills, Hamlin also serves as National Ambassador for the Nation of Lifesavers. Carolina Panthers - Johnny Hekker, punter Chicago Bears - Gerald Everett, tight end Cincinnati Bengals - Chris Evans, running back Cincinnati Bengals - Kris Jenkins, defensive tackle Cleveland Browns - Denzel Ward, cornerback Los Angeles Rams - Demarcus Robinson, wide receiver New Orleans Saints - Johnathan Abram, safety New York Giants - Devin Singletary, running back “The NFL is proud to continue its partnership with the American Heart Association to ensure that the entire NFL family can serve as lifesavers during medical emergencies,” said Anna Isaacson, NFL senior vice president of social responsibility. “We look forward to working with our Nation of Lifesaver Player Ambassadors to expand access to essential CPR training and education in communities across the country.”

To further bring CPR training to the community level, the NFL Foundation provides CPR grants to each team to help increase CPR access in community neighborhoods. The grants have already funded Hands-Only CPR training, Heartsaver® CPR AED (automated external defibrillator), placement of CPR in Schools Kits and CPR Youth Sports Kits. Each team worked to create a plan customized to the needs of their local market. Additionally, the 32 NFL teams received NFL Foundation funds to place AEDs directly in local youth sports programs, schools and community parks and playgrounds. Since January 2023, the American Heart Association specifically has worked alongside the Arizona Cardinals, Atlanta Falcons, Baltimore Ravens, Buffalo Bills, Carolina Panthers, Chicago Bears, Cincinnati Bengals, Dallas Cowboys, Detroit Lions, Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, Kansas City Chiefs, Los Angeles Rams, Miami Dolphins, New England Patriots, New Orleans Saints, New York Jets, Pittsburgh Steelers, Seattle Seahawks and Tennessee Titans.

In addition to the community education opportunities through the NFL clubs, the Nation of Lifesavers Mobile CPR Unit appeared at Super Bowls LVII and LVIII and the 2023 and 2024 NFL Drafts, extending the opportunity to learn Hands-Only CPR to the thousands of fans in attendance. The Mobile CPR Unit will appear at Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans and the 2025 NFL Draft in Green Bay, Wisconsin.

The collaboration also helps kids to learn how they can play a role in strengthening the chain of survival. According to the American Heart Association, kids as young as 9 can perform CPR while children as young as 4 can support by calling 911[5]. The NFL is also supporting kid-focused CPR education through the American Heart Association’s in-school programs, Kids Heart Challenge™ and American Heart Challenge™. Students who learn Hands-Only CPR through the program can win Super Bowl tickets and their school can be eligible for a $10,000 physical education makeover as part of the collaboration to inspire Hands-Only CPR adoption. The 2024 NFL season marks the second season of this work with the winners of the 2023 season unveiled on Sept. 19, 2024.

The American Heart Association is also a founding member of the Smart Heart Sports Coalition established by the NFL in 2023. The coalition is actively advocating for all 50 states to adopt evidence-based public policies that will prevent fatal outcomes from cardiac arrest among high school students. According to the American Heart Association, as many as 23,000 children under the age of 18 experience cardiac outside of a hospital annually, and about 40% of those occur among student-athletes. It is a leading cause of death for student-athletes nationwide.

With nearly 3 out of 4 cardiac arrests outside of the hospital occurring in homes, knowing how to perform CPR is critically important. If a teen or adult collapses, witnesses should immediately call 9-1-1 emergency services and begin chest compressions at a rate of 100-120 beats per minute and a depth of approximately two inches. Hands-Only CPR is chest compression-only CPR. Learn CPR today, visit www.heart.org/nation.

Additional Resources:

Downloadable B-roll, photos and infographics are available on the right column of this release link. Video interview with expert, Annie Arens, M.D., CPR/AED photos, demos and infographic available here. Bystander CPR | Bystander CPR Infographic (PDF) Hands-Only CPR Resources Hands-Only CPR vs CPR with Breaths Cardiac Arrest vs. Heart Attack Reducing Disparities for Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest – Community Toolkit: English and Spanish versions available American Heart Association news release Access to AEDs Act would support lifesaving response to sudden cardiac arrest | American Heart Association (March 28, 2023) You're the Cure Take 90 seconds to learn how to save a life at www.heart.org/HandsOnlyCPR. ###

About the American Heart Association

The American Heart Association is a relentless force for a world of longer, healthier lives. We are dedicated to ensuring equitable health in all communities. Through collaboration with numerous organizations, and powered by millions of volunteers, we fund innovative research, advocate for the public’s health and share lifesaving resources. The Dallas-based organization has been a leading source of health information for a century. During 2024 - our Centennial year - we celebrate our rich 100-year history and accomplishments. As we forge ahead into our second century of bold discovery and impact our vision is to advance health and hope for everyone, everywhere. Connect with us on heart.org, Facebook, X, or by calling 1-800-AHA-USA1.

[1] Association of Bystander and First‐Responder Efforts and Outcomes According to Sex: Results From the North Carolina HeartRescue Statewide Quality Improvement Initiative

Hansen, MD, PhD Carolina Malta, Kragholm, MD, PhD, Kristian, Dupre, PhD, Matthew E., Pearson, MD, MS, MBA, David A., Tyson, MS, Clark, Monk, MSN, RN, CPHQ, Lisa, D. Rea, MD, MPH, Thomas, Starks, MD, MHS, Monique A., Nelson, MD, Darrell, Jollis, MD, James G., McNally, MD, MPH, Bryan, Corbett, MMS, Claire M. and Granger, MD, Christopher B.; Association of Bystander and First‐Responder Efforts and Outcomes According to Sex: Results From the North Carolina HeartRescue Statewide Quality Improvement Initiative

[2] 2023 HOCPR Insights survey, American Heart Association

[3] https://newsroom.heart.org/news/impact-update-cpr-willingness-grows-in-the-u-s-need-to-act-remains#_ftn4

[4] https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/CIR.0000000000001196

[5] KIDS SAVE LIVES: Basic Life Support Education for Schoolchildren: A Narrative Review and Scientific Statement From the International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation, https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/CIR.0000000000001128

END

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Most older adults don’t trust AI-generated health information — but many aren’t sure what to trust

2024-10-16

While the vast majority of people over 50 look for health information on the internet, a new poll shows 74% would have very little or no trust in such information if it were generated by artificial intelligence. Meanwhile, 20% of older adults have little or no confidence that they could spot misinformation about a health topic if they came across it. That percentage was even higher among older adults who say their mental health, physical health or memory is fair or poor, and among those who report having a disability that limits their activities. In other words, those who might ...

Invention quickly detects earliest sign of heart attack

2024-10-16

With heart attacks, every second counts. A new blood test diagnoses them in minutes rather than hours and could be adapted as a tool for first responders and people at home. “Heart attacks require immediate medical intervention in order to improve patient outcomes, but while early diagnosis is critical, it can also be very challenging—and near impossible outside of a clinical setting,” said lead author Peng Zheng, an assistant research scientist at Johns Hopkins University. “We were able to invent a new technology that can quickly and accurately establish if someone is having a heart attack.” The proof-of-concept work, which can be modified to detect infectious ...

New research confirms that young adults can also have large vessel occlusion strokes thought to happen in older adults, given the rise of stroke risk factors in younger adults

2024-10-16

New research published in the Journal of Stroke and Cerebrovascular Diseases confirms that strokes thought to happen in older adults are possible in the younger (defined as 18-50 years old) population. Large Vessel Occlusion Acute ischemic Strokes (LVO-AIS) are considered to be the most debilitating strokes which occur due to blockage of large cerebral arteries usually from blood clots or plaque build up. LVO-AIS is typically thought to occur in older adults given that older individuals are known to have risk factors for large vessel occlusions. However, new research confirms that the younger population can have risk factors ...

Grasslands live in the climate change fast lane

2024-10-16

Although all ecosystems are affected by a changing climate, the impacts can take a while to appear. Changes in forest biodiversity, for example, are known to lag behind changes in a habitat's temperature and precipitation. Grasslands, on the other hand, are responding to climate change almost in real time, according to new research by the University of Michigan. Put another way, forests accumulate climate debt while grasslands are paying as they go, said the study's lead authors, Kai Zhu and Yiluan Song. "Climate change does have consequences for our ecosystems. It's going to come sooner or later," said Song, a postdoctoral fellow at the ...

Mount Sinai Doctors to present at ID Week 2024

2024-10-16

Experts in infection prevention and control at the Mount Sinai Health will present new research and insights at ID Week, the joint annual meeting of the Infectious Diseases Society of America, the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America, the HIV Medicine Association, the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society, and the Society of Infectious Diseases Pharmacists in Los Angeles from October 16-19. Mount Sinai doctors and researchers are also available for comment on breaking health news including the flu, COVID variants, HIV/AIDS, mpox, West Nile virus, measles, and fall vaccinations. PRESENTATIONS and POSTER SESSIONS *All abstracts and presentations ...

Rewriting the future: New molecules reversibly change with light and heat

2024-10-16

In this age of cloud storage, few people are backing up data on CD-RWs. The technology to rewrite data on compact discs was made possible by phase-change materials altered by the light and heat of lasers, though this had a limit of 1,000 rewrites. Today, scientists investigating photoswitching molecules, which change their properties when irradiated, have been finding possible applications for these materials, ranging from photopharmacology to data storage. Osaka Metropolitan University Graduate School of Engineering student Shota Hamatani, Dr. Daichi Kitagawa, a lecturer, and Professor Seiya Kobatake synthesized aza-diarylethenes, which have nitrogen in place of carbon in a molecular structure ...

New breakthrough in quantum computing development, hybrid quantum error correction technology

2024-10-16

A major challenge in realizing quantum computers is the development of 'quantum error correction' technology. This technology offers a solution for addressing errors that occur in the qubit, the basic unit of quantum computation, and prevents them from being amplified during the computation. Without quantum error correction, it would be impossible for quantum computers to outperform classical counterparts, and thus efforts to advance this technology are ongoing worldwide. Dr. Seung-Woo Lee's research team at the Korea ...

Unlocking the future: Information processing at the speed of light

2024-10-16

The integration of photonics into quantum computing has profound implications across various domains. As the demand for faster and more secure computational capabilities intensifies, photonic quantum computing emerges as a pivotal force, with the photonics market projected to reach USD 837.8 billion by 2025. Harnessing the unique properties of light, photonic quantum computing revolutionizes data processing by encoding information in photons, offering unprecedented speed and efficiency for solving complex problems that traditional methods struggle to address. Photonic quantum computers can ...

A new chapter in cancer treatment: Innovative strategies and technologies of miRNA

2024-10-16

This study is led by Dr. Shiwei Duan (Department of Clinical Medicine, School of Medicine, Hangzhou City University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China). His team analyzed literature on miRNA, summarizing the close relationship between these small molecules and cancer. miRNA is a type of non-coding RNA that does not encode proteins, but can target more than 60% of human protein-coding genes. They play crucial roles in cell growth, differentiation, development, and apoptosis, and their dysfunction is closely linked to numerous diseases. Almost all known cancer cells have the ability to control gene expression using miRNAs, making the impact of miRNAs particularly significant ...

Silicon metasurfaces unlock broad-spectrum infrared imaging.

2024-10-16

Infrared imaging technology is crucial for advancing our understanding of the world, from exploring biological specimens to inspecting complex materials and detecting hidden patterns in physical systems. Infrared light can penetrate fog and smoke, making it invaluable for search and rescue, firefighting, and sensitive operations. Additionally, infrared imaging can enable visualising the heat emitted by objects, making it a powerful tool for night vision and security applications. While infrared cameras are valuable tools for enhanced ...

NFL Player Ambassadors urge fans to learn lifesaving CPR in 90 seconds

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES: