CPR is one of the most important skills a doctor can have, especially when they are in public places, for which they could be the only person able to perform it. In the case of Michael Jackson’s cardiologist, he may not have been trained enough to respond at the scene while Mr. Jackson was experiencing his last moments, which is a reality no doctor should have to face.

In a recent article, I discuss Dr. Murray’s hand in the event and how knowledge of CPR could have saved his life:

When Michael Jackson’s heart stopped under the strain of the drug propofol, his personal physician, cardiologist Murray Conrad, is reported to have asked if anyone else present in the pop singer’s bedroom knew CPR. These are the last words any physician should utter during a life and death situation such as this. Dr. Murray, himself a cardiologist for more than twenty years was standing right there and should have already have begun CPR himself, a basic skill for any physician.

Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation or CPR consists of administering chest compressions, and sometimes mouth to mouth airway breaths, and is performed thousands of times a day by doctors, paramedics and other first responders in hospitals, offices, homes and shopping malls across America. CPR is a skill that physicians should know. In fact CPR is considered so important in saving lives that aspiring physicians are often taught how to perform CPR in their very first week of medical school, because CPR saves lives.

To read the rest of the article, visit InMag.com.