CPR awareness includes making sure women get the same care

Jun. 4, 2026

By Mary Wade Burnside

If you watch HBO’s smash series “The Pitt,” perhaps you saw the scene in which Dr. Robby publicly chewed out two paramedics for improperly placing EKG leads on a woman because she had large breasts. “Women are misdiagnosed for heart attacks all the time,” he tells them.

Dr. Robby, the lead character in the TV show that portrays a day in the life of a Pittsburgh emergency department, asks staffers who were standing around, “Hey, ladies in the room, show of hands! Death with modesty or life with brief nudity!”

Most of the women’s hands shoot up in approval of life.

It turns out, for that same reason, people with breasts receive bystander CPR, or cardiopulmonary resuscitation, less frequently than those who do not, anywhere from 14-27% of the time.

According to the Canadian Red Cross, some of the reasons this can happen include:

• Fear of inappropriate touching: Rescuers may worry their hands will be in the wrong place.
• Fear of accusations: Some people hesitate, worried they could be misunderstood.
• Fear of causing injury: Many think chest compressions could “hurt” a person with breasts more.

But, when it comes to CPR, every minute counts. CPR & AED Awareness Week begins on Monday and it’s a great time to remind the community that Monongalia County Health Department offers training in both CPR and automated external defibrillators, which provides an electrical shock to someone in cardiac arrest.

Joe Klass, chief of operations at MCHD’s Threat Preparedness program, provides CPR training, and he noted that updated products and guidance have helped alleviate the issue regarding women and CPR.

“There are now anatomically accurate female manikins as well as fake breasts that can be attached to manikins,” said Klass, noting that MCHD has two such manikins that can be used during classes.

When it comes to using an AED, Klass continued, “The most recent American Heart Association (AHA) updates highlight that bystanders don't necessarily need to remove the bras of females as long as they can place the AED pads on bare skin.”

The course takes around three to four hours and also includes instruction on how to operate an AED and how to save someone from choking using the Heimlich maneuver.

Klass, who is also a paramedic, can teach Heartsaver CPR, which is geared to community members, as well as Basic Life Support to medical personnel.

“There really aren’t a lot of differences between the two,” Klass said. “Basic Life Support goes into more detail on how to manage cardiac arrest in a health care setting, using a couple of tools that non-medical people don’t usually have access to.”

Individuals who take Klass’ training learn on both adult and infant manikans, he noted.

According to the AHA, “CPR is an emergency lifesaving procedure performed when the heart stops beating. Immediate CPR can double or triple chances of survival after cardiac arrest.”

Every year, 350,000 people in the United States die from cardiac arrest, a number that can be improved as more individuals learn how to do CPR and also have access to equipment such as an AED.

Anyone who finds themselves in the position to help someone who has stopped breathing should first call 911. In addition to sending out an EMS unit, a dispatcher can also provide advice on how to perform CPR, Klass said.

Modern CPR was developed in 1960, although techniques have improved throughout the years.

There is even music that people can refer to in order to follow for the recommended rhythm while doing chest compressions, Klass said. As comically highlighted in a scene from the TV show “The Office,” the best-known song is, coincidentally, “Stayin’ Alive” by the Bee Gees. Spotify even has an entire CPR playlist of songs that work for CPR because the rhythm is 100 beats per minute.

“The big thing is, you never know when you might need it,” Klass said. “Everyone should have CPR training. Your brain can survive approximately 3-4 minutes without oxygen and the average EMS response time in the U.S is seven minutes. Bystander CPR is critical to survival while waiting for EMS to arrive on scene”

Email Klass at Joseph.L.Klass@wv.gov to schedule a class or go to this link for more information.

Mary Wade Burnside is the public information officer at Monongalia County Health Department.