RESUMEN
BACKGROUND: Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) and automated external defibrillator (AED) use significantly improve the chances of survival after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. Subsequently, state laws mandate training in CPR and AED use for high school graduation. However, training and its impact vary and must be better understood. OBJECTIVE: We assessed the current CPR training mandates and their impact. METHODS: We performed a nationwide, cross-sectional, survey-based observational study of high schoolers in 9th to 12th grades in all 50 states from 2020 to 2022 (NCT04493970), assessing basic demographics, attitudes, knowledge and skills, and willingness to learn CPR and AED use. RESULTS: We had an 8% response rate, resulting in 2,395 high school students surveyed. The mean age of respondents was 16.8±0.7 years, with 52.5% females. Of these, 86% underwent some form of training, and 25.1% had CPR training in the last year. Only 58.7% knew how to use an AED. Notably, 26.9% had previously witnessed CPR, and almost all (94%) realized the importance of learning CPR. Most respondents also believed recurrent and longitudinal would be beneficial. CONCLUSIONS: Surprisingly, only a small cohort of students do not undergo CPR training even when it is mandatory. The quality of this training appears to be inadequate to impart appropriate confidence and knowledge levels. This suggests a need for a significant overhaul of CPR training mandates across the United States.