These Dummy Breasts Are Saving Lives Of 27% Of Women Who Die From 'No CPR'

When someone goes into cardiac distress, Cardiopulmonary resuscitation or CPR could save their life. The problem is, women who suffer a cardiac attack in public are 27 percent less likely to receive CPR than men. And the reason why is so simple it's almost stupid.

Women have breasts.

According to a recent study published in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes, it's not that people don't care about women having a heart attack. Apparently the real issue is they don't know how to put their hands on them without seeming to be violating them.

That's why Joan Creative, a New York-based startup, has developed the Womanikin. It's basically a universal attachment you can put on the most commonly-used mannequins in order to provide people with proper training on how to administrate CPR to women.

The idea behind the movement is to eliminate the bias inherent in CPR training. We just don't train people to do it on women because the question is uncomfortable. The right technique involves placing the heel of your hand 2 inches above the end of the breastbone, before pumping. "Yes, this will mean you are touching her breast," the startup's instructions say. "Don't worry. You might save her life."

The startup is asking for donations in order to raise awareness about all the women that does of heart disease each year. The Womanikin itself however, they're providing for free. They've uploaded the resources you need to design and make your own, or have one manufactured, completely open-source.

So the next time you need to administer CPR to a woman, you can remember your training and worry less about what might look like a "inappropriate touch" and more about saving her life.