NYU Langone Medical Center has partnered with the American Heart Association (AHA) to raise awareness of Hands-Only CPR^™ during National CPR Awareness Week. Thousands will be trained at an event today in Times Square from 7:00AM to 7:00PM to set a new Guinness World Records^™ record for the most people in a CPR relay. Participants will include celebrities, athletes, media representatives, high profile corporate executives, hospital leaders, political figures, survivors, and more.

“We’re excited to work with the American Heart Association to raise awareness of Hands-Only CPR given by bystanders, which I know from experience can help save lives,” says Lawrence Phillips, MD, director of nuclear cardiology at NYU Langone and member of the American Heart Association’s Board of Directors in New York City. “At NYU Langone, we’re focused on preventing and treating heart disease, and this partnership with the American Heart Association demonstrates our leadership in this area by teaching thousands of people how to perform life-saving CPR.”

Cardiac arrest is a leading cause of death with more than 300,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests occurring annually in the United States. Fewer than 10 percent of people who suffer out-of-hospital cardiac arrests survive, and you can double or triple a cardiac arrest victim’s chances of survival by performing Hands-Only CPR immediately.

The event will take place in Times Square near the TKTS Pavilion on 46th Street and Broadway, where participants will learn how to perform Hands-Only CPR. They will then take part in a continuous CPR relay to attempt to break the Guinness World Record^™ for most people in a CPR relay, over the course of 12 hours. There will be a separate training area where anyone interested in learning how to perform CPR in case of an emergency can do so. Medical experts will also be on hand to provide more information about cardiac arrest and CPR.

“We hope this event and relay will help people understand how easy Hands-Only CPR is to do, and that they should not be afraid to attempt it if they see someone collapse,” says Dr. Phillips. “Many people fear wrongly they will harm the person, but in fact, it can dramatically increase a patient’s chances of survival. The importance of learning this lifesaving skill cannot be overemphasized.”

Media Inquiries

Allison Clair
Phone: 212-404-3753
allison.clair@nyumc.org