The UA Sarver Heart Center will host a panel of doctors who will update the public about new lifesaving tips that could potentially save the life of someone suffering from cardiac arrest.

The annual Healthy Heart public education conference will be held in Gallagher Theater Saturday. The conference is held every year around Valentine's Day and is focused on preventing and treating cardiovascular disease and stroke.

This year, doctors will add information about a new type of CPR called continuous chest compression CPR. This new type of CPR could add valuable minutes to the life of someone who is having a heart attack.

"This program is designed to educate and update the public on practical healthcare items to prevent heart disease and death," said Dr. Gordon A. Ewy, director of the Sarver Heart Center and chief of cardiology at the UA College of Medicine.

Nearly 40 percent of Americans die from Cardiovascular Disease, and women are 10 times more likely to die from heart disease than breast cancer, Ewy said.

Although students may not be worried about heart attack, stroke and heart disease at such a young age, being educated about it is still important.

"The program is geared toward faculty more than students," said Pila Martinez, a coordinator of the Healthy Heart conference, "but students may also benefit."

According to the Campus Health Web site, people who are sedentary are almost twice as likely to suffer a heart attack than those who exercise regularly. It is important for students to get into good eating and exercise habits early in life.

"I think students should be interested in it," Ewy said. "They think they'll live forever, and they don't think they need to worry about their hearts now, but they do."

Shurid Sen, an economics junior, said he does not think heart disease is something to worry about now.

"I never think about it," Sen said. "It's just not a priority because it's not really relevant at this time in my life."

Victoria Sucato, a speech and hearing sciences sophomore, said she is more aware of the dangers of heart disease.

"Heart disease runs in my family so I eat fairly decently and try to exercise," Sucato said.

Maintaining a healthy diet and exercising regularly are important factors in preventing heart disease.

"I am not really concerned with preventing heart disease," said Kristin Klier, a pre-nursing freshman. "But I am interested in staying in shape, and the two are closely related."

Ewy said he will emphasize continuous chest compression CPR at the conference, a type of CPR that was developed at the UA medical center and could potentially save someone who is having a heart attack.

"I have been a lifeguard for almost six years so I'm pretty experienced in regular CPR," said Kelli Park, a journalism sophomore. "But, I have never heard of continuous CPR. I think learning this new type of CPR would be really helpful."

Continuous chest compression CPR is not for someone who is having respiratory problems after nearly drowning or experiencing a drug overdose. It is for someone who is having a heart attack, according to the UA Sarver Heart Center Web site.

According to the Web site, instead of stopping chest compressions to give mouth-to-mouth like in regular CPR, a bystander would give forceful chest compressions to a victim at a rate of 100 compressions per minute.

The Web site said continuous chest compression CPR could also double the number of people who survive out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.

"I have heard of this new type of CPR," said Klier. "But I haven't been trained for it."

The cost of the conference is $10 and will feature speakers from 8 a.m. to noon.