Only 8 percent of people who suffer from sudden cardiac arrest at home survive, but a new and easier way to do cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) could change that.

The American Heart Association is trying to get 1 million people - including Ohioans - to learn the Hands-Only method of CPR. The technique is easy to learn, simple to do, and can save a life.

Dr. Thomas Tallman, who chairs Emergency Preparedness and Resuscitation training at the Cleveland Clinic, says every second counts when a person has sudden cardiac arrest.

“The amount of time that usually passes when somebody’s heart has stopped, the minutes go by and it can mean a difference in survival.”

The new Hands-Only CPR method involves just two steps: Call 911, and then push hard and fast on the center of the person’s chest. For the correct tempo, Tallman says, think about the 1977 song “Stayin’ Alive” by the Bee Gees. “With that song in your head if you’re doing compressions, it really does give you about 100 compressions a minute, which is ideal for creating that kind of an artificial circulation for the patient.”

Up to two-thirds of people who are not treated immediately in the field do not survive a sudden cardiovascular event, says Tallman, who hopes that statistic changes with this new, easier method.

“I think a lot of it is people don’t learn it, or they learned it a long time ago and then they’re afraid to do it. A lot of them are also discouraged in the older methods that included chest compressions and mouth-to-mouth or mouth-to-mask ventilation.”

Training classes are offered at various locations across the state. People also can learn the method by watching a video online at heart.org/cpr.

Tallman says administering CPR in the first few minutes of a cardiac arrest can completely change the outcome - for the better.

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