GRAHAM, N.C. - The numbers are dramatic.

“Over 600,000 people die each year from cardiac arrest. Only six percent nationwide survive," said Darrell Nelson, MD, Wake Forest Baptist Health Emergency physician. "There’s a huge misperception of how effective CPR is. Ninety-five percent of folks don’t survive. But in many agencies and here in North Carolina, we have much higher survival rates.”

Higher rates are a result of efforts to increase survival, like a new protocol that's been rolled out in Alamance County. It's called Team Focused CPR. Crews finished training with it in July.  

“We work kind of like a pit crew," said Toni Roberson, Alamance Community College EMS coordinator. "Each person has their basic designated thing that they're going to do, and then we'll actually run the cardiac arrest."

Mark Quale, Alamance County EMS medical director, said, “If we can get someone’s pulse and the heart restarted in the home, community or area where they had their cardiac arrest, they’re about 35 times more likely to survive from being able to leave the hospital if we’re able to do that.”

Paramedics say the great thing about this new protocol is that they have everything they need for the initial response with them all the time, enabling them to provide the best care possible on scene.

“Patients have a better chance of walking out of the hospital without brain damage, with good neurological recovery if we're able to provide those services right on scene," said Quale.

It's thanks to some new gear that helps improve circulation to the brain and improves breathing, a checklist and advanced cardiac life support that's brought on site by paramedics.

Along with those changes, crews also offer Acute Grief Life Support to family members during the resuscitation process, explaining the new process and chances for survival. 

“It takes the chaos out. We’re able to provide better care for patients and be able explain, to explain things that are going on with the family members," said Tracey Saunders, Alamance County EMS training officer.

Nelson said, “Those families that are allowed to watch their loved ones have CPR performed on them tend to have better grieving and closure following the loss of a loved one.”

Crews said they're already seeing a positive impact.

Something else that improves survival rates? EMS professionals say if you notice someone in cardiac arrest, call 911 and begin hands-only CPR.

If you're interested in learning CPR, call: 336-570-6796