The Michael E. DeBakey Heart Institute at Hays Medical Center and the Hays Medical Center Foundation will have its 10th annual CPR Anytime Training on Feb. 20 at the Center for Health Improvement at Hays Medical Center.

During the day, the institute hopes to train more than 200 people for free in its Family and Friends CPR course.

The two-hour class is designed for members of the general public, 8 years and older, and is not for those seeking professional certification. More than 80 certified instructors and volunteers will donate their time to the event.

Classes in adult and pediatric CPR will be offered at 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. To register, call (800) 248-0073, Ext. 5500 or (785) 623-5500.

"If more people know how to perform CPR, it naturally increases the probability that victims of cardiac arrest would receive CPR more timely -- when it can still make a difference," said Bryce Young, vice president of cardiovascular services at Hays Medical Center.

When performed immediately, CPR can double a cardiac arrest victim's chances of survival by adding critical minutes to a patient's life. With CPR, breathing and chest compressions circulate oxygenated blood to the brain, heart and other vital organs until defibrillation is performed.

Cardiac arrest survival is directly linked to the amount of time between the onset of sudden cardiac arrest and defibrillation. Chances of survival drop 7 to 10 percent with every minute of delay. Brain death starts to occur in just four to six minutes

Seventy-five to 80 percent of all sudden cardiac arrests happen at home, so knowing how to perform CPR can mean the difference between life and death for a loved one, according to the American Heart Association.