Organizers in Washington County are recruiting volunteers interested in becoming CPR trainers as part of a statewide initiative to equip more citizens to deliver CPR in crucial lifesaving moments — and then measure the training’s impact over a seven-year trial.

The RACE-CARS (Randomized Cluster Evaluation of Cardiac Arrest Systems) Trial is led by a team of researchers at the Duke Clinical Research Institute in partnership with participating EMS agencies, hospitals, 911-dispatch, fire, rescue, law enforcement agencies and communities throughout North Carolina. The trial will last seven years and is funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.

Kat Williams — a Washington-Tyrrell EMS paramedic — is Washington County’s principal organizer. She says the goal is to provide 1,500 people in CPR delivery in the two counties in 10 separate clinics.

RACE-CARS aims to improve outcomes for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) victims. A cardiac arrest occurs when the heart either stops or has an irregular heartbeat. It is an electrical problem where the heart is not able to pump blood to the rest of the body. This causes the person to become unresponsive and to stop breathing normally (either no breathing or gasping). Cardiac arrest is different from a heart attack. A heart attack is a plumbing (circulation) problem. An artery becomes blocked and oxygen cannot get to the heart. If the artery is not opened quickly, the heart becomes damaged. The longer the delay in treatment, the worse the heart damage.

Cardiac arrest is one of the main causes of death in North Carolina and the United States. Death will occur within minutes if victims do not receive appropriate treatment.

The RACE-CARS trial will evaluate whether a set of customized health system and community-based interventions implemented within North Carolina counties can improve survival to hospital discharge with good neurologic function relative to usual care for OHCA patients.

Williams says many people are unaware how crucial immediate CPR application can be in a cardiac event.

“The more quickly CPR is done, the better,” she says. “Every minute that passes means a 10 percent loss of brain function. Training as many people as possible is important so more passersby are trained.”

Previous experience and training is not a requirement for potential trainers — trained providers will train the “trainers” in advance.

When the RACE-CARS training sessions occur, the training is straightforward and reliable, according to sources from the RED Cross on down.

“Nothing is foolproof,” Williams says, “but the CPR training is really simple>

And, she says, Good Samaritan Laws protect volunteers who provide CPR in an emergency from legal liability.

For more information or to volunteer, contact Williams at (252) 287-5900.