Mobile CPR kiosk unveiled at hospital in Santa Monica; hands-on machine teaches proper technique

SANTA MONICA, Calif. (KABC) -- Of the approximately 1,000 cardiac arrests that occur in the U.S. every day, a large majority of them are fatal because the victims didn't receive cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

The American Heart Association would like to get as many Americans trained as possible. The group unveiled a new machine that makes learning CPR fun and accessible.

The first mobile, hands-only CPR kiosk in Los Angeles County is a huge hit with spectators. The device shows users the proper technique and then instantaneously tracks and rates their performance.

"It's not so different from a video game that you would play at home," said Dr. Rigved Tadwalkar, a cardiologist with Providence Saint John's Health Center.

But it's more than just a game, it's a lifesaver

"It makes it much more engaging and as a result, it's a better learning tool," he said.

The staff at Providence Saint John's Health Center in Santa Monica and the American Heart Association unveiled the revolutionary teaching tool. Participants learn hand placement, how to apply pressure and how fast you need to go.

"Any song that is between 100 beats to 120 bpm is effective," Tadwalkar said.

About 350,000 cardiac arrests occur in the U.S. every year. Doctors say if people don't get CPR, there's a 90% chance they're not going to survive. And it always happens when you least expect it.

"Seventy-percent of the time, this is happening in the home, so there's a good chance that if you're performing CPR it's actually for a loved one or a family member," he said.

"I went into cardiac arrest when I was 18 years old," said cardiac arrest survivor Ilisa Juried of Valencia. This happened in a New York subway station. 20 years later, Juried is the youngest person in the world with long QT syndrome to survive such a dramatic event. She credits bystander CPR.

"Out of nowhere these nurses started to perform CPR and didn't stop until the paramedics got there. If those people didn't do that to me, I wouldn't be here today," she said.

You can read about how to perform CPR or even watch a lot of videos, but it's totally different when you actually perform it and it gives you confidence.

"A lot of it is actually technique. So even beyond strength, a lot of it is how you place your hands your arms if they're in the locked position," said Tadwalkar.

The mobile hands-only CPR kiosk will be in the lobby of Providence St. John's Health Center. Another one is traveling in Orange County. The American Heart Association also has a stationary one in the international terminal at Los Angeles International Airport. The goal is to teach as many people as possible..

"It is extremely crucial that everybody learns how to do CPR," said Juried. "The ability to have a mobile kiosk that allows you to learn how to do CPR it's going to save so many people."