On Tuesday evening, March 23, you can learn how to save a life by performing CPR and using an Automatic External Defibrillator (AED).

Why should you care? Just read the following statistics from the American Heart Association:

• About 80 percent of all out-of-hospital cardiac arrests occur in private residential settings, so being trained to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) can mean the difference between life and death for a loved one.

• Effective bystander CPR, provided immediately after cardiac arrest, can double a victim’s chance of survival.

• CPR helps maintain vital blood flow to the heart and brain and increases the amount of time that an electric shock from a defibrillator can be effective.

• Approximately 95 percent of sudden cardiac arrest victims die before reaching the hospital.

• Death from sudden cardiac arrest is not inevitable. If more people knew CPR, more lives could be saved.

• Brain death starts to occur four to six minutes after someone experiences cardiac arrest if no CPR and defibrillation occurs during that time.

• If bystander CPR is not provided, a sudden cardiac arrest victim’s chances of survival fall 7 percent to 10 percent for every minute of delay until defibrillation. Few attempts at resuscitation are successful if CPR and defibrillation are not provided within minutes of collapse.

• Coronary heart disease accounts for about 446,000 of the?over 864,000 adults who die each year as a result of cardiovascular disease.

Join the Southwest Colorado Chapter of the American Red Cross for a class in ADULT CPR/AED on Tuesday, March 23, at the Pagosa Springs Fire Station No. 1 (191 North Pagosa Blvd.-Upstairs Training Room) from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m.

Cost of the class is $45 per participant. Payment is due at the time of registration. All students must pre-register. Call Nicole at 259-5383 to register.