The 4-Minute Miracle That Can Save a Life

1. What Are Sudden Cardiac Arrest and CPR?

Sudden cardiac arrest (Cardiac Arrest) refers to a condition in which the heart suddenly stops functioning as a pump responsible for circulating blood throughout the body due to various causes. When cardiac arrest occurs, blood supply to the entire body is immediately interrupted. As a result, brain cell damage usually begins within about 4 minutes, and if more than 10 minutes pass, permanent brain damage, organ failure, or death may occur.

Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) is an emergency lifesaving procedure performed when breathing or heartbeat has stopped. CPR artificially maintains breathing and blood circulation when the heart is no longer functioning properly. By circulating blood through external efforts, CPR helps delay brain damage and plays a critical role in helping a patient recover from cardiac arrest.

2. What Does the Golden 4 Minutes Mean in CPR?

The term Golden 4 Minutes in CPR refers to the critical time period immediately after the heart stops beating. Since brain cells begin to suffer damage after about 4 minutes without oxygen, CPR should be started immediately whenever cardiac arrest is confirmed or even suspected.

To identify cardiac arrest, it is important to check whether the person is conscious and breathing normally.

According to statistics in Korea, approximately 94% of sudden cardiac arrest cases occur outside hospitals, and about 57% happen at home in front of family members. This means that in many cases, the first witness is not a medical professional, but a family member or an ordinary bystander.

After calling 119, the average ambulance arrival time nationwide is about 8 minutes. In addition, the survival rate decreases by approximately 7–10% for every minute that CPR is delayed. However, only around 10% of initial witnesses actually perform CPR. As a result, only about 3 out of 100 sudden cardiac arrest patients in Korea recover well enough to return to normal daily life after discharge.

Therefore, performing CPR as quickly as possible on a person who is unconscious or not breathing normally can greatly increase the chances of survival.

3. Can I Perform CPR Even If I’m Not a Medical Professional?

The most important principle of CPR is that “the first person who witnesses the emergency should begin CPR immediately.” Even if CPR is not performed perfectly, doing something is far better than doing nothing.

Therefore, you should not worry that “as a non-medical person, I might harm the patient by performing CPR incorrectly.” Even if you have never received formal CPR training, you can still receive guidance from emergency dispatchers over the phone after calling 119.

Of course, because CPR involves applying strong pressure to the chest, injuries such as rib fractures or pneumothorax (collapsed lung) may occur, and clothing may also be damaged. In addition, CPR cannot save every patient, so unintended harm may sometimes happen during the rescue process.

However, in Korea, people who provide emergency assistance in good faith are protected under the “Good Samaritan Law,” officially stated in Article 5, Paragraph 2 of the Emergency Medical Service Act. This law protects rescuers from criminal liability for injuries that may occur during CPR and also exempts them from civil liability for property damage caused while providing emergency care.

4. What Should You Do as the First Witness of a Cardiac Arrest?

1. Check Responsiveness

First, check whether the person is conscious. Firmly tap both shoulders and loudly ask, “Are you okay?” If there is no response, cardiac arrest may have occurred.

2. Call 911 and Get an AED

If the person is unresponsive, loudly ask nearby people for help and immediately call 911. If an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) is available, bring it to the scene.

Even if you have no CPR experience, you can still perform CPR with guidance from the emergency dispatcher over the phone.

3. Check Breathing

Look at the person’s chest and upper abdomen for about 10 seconds to check for breathing. If the person is not breathing or is only gasping, it should be considered abnormal breathing. If both unresponsiveness and abnormal or absent breathing are confirmed, the person should be treated as being in cardiac arrest.

4. Begin CPR Immediately

As soon as cardiac arrest is suspected, begin chest compressions immediately.

Perform 30 chest compressions, then open the airway and provide 2 rescue breaths, making sure the chest rises during each breath.

However, if it is difficult to maintain the airway properly or if you are uncomfortable performing mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, continue with chest compressions only at an adequate speed and depth. Chest-compression-only CPR can still significantly improve survival chances.

Check for responsiveness and breathing every 2 minutes, and continue repeating the chest compression process.

5. Use an AED Available

Once the Automated External Defibrillator (AED) is ready, attach the pads to the indicated positions on the patient’s chest and follow the machine’s voice instructions to deliver a shock if advised.

If an AED is not available, continue chest compressions until emergency medical personnel arrive.

1. First, place the patient flat on a hard and level surface, and open or loosen the upper clothing so the chest is visible.

2. Place the heel of both hands, with fingers interlocked, on the lower half of the breastbone (sternum). Make sure your fingers do not touch the chest, and keep your arms straight so that they are positioned vertically over the chest.

3. Perform chest compressions quickly and firmly at a rate of 100–120 compressions per minute, with a depth of at least 5 cm. Any interruption in compressions should not exceed 10 seconds.

   The recommended compression depth differs by age group:

   • Infants (0–1 year): about 4 cm

   • Children (2–7 years): 4–5 cm

   • Adults (8 years and older): about 5 cm (maximum 6 cm)

4. While performing chest compressions, if the patient makes sounds or begins to move, check whether normal breathing has returned.

   If breathing has recovered, place the patient on their side in the recovery position to help prevent airway obstruction.

   
   

---

 Enjoy shopping @Galleria Supermarket!