CPR -- either high quality or compression-only
bystander CPR -- and automated external defibrillator use immediately following cardiac arrest can reduce morbidity and save lives, according to the CDC.
"Our goal as Heroes for Hearts is to increase the rate of
bystander CPR, by changing the dynamic of those trained in CPR from one that largely encompasses healthcare professionals, to one that encompasses all members of the community.
It has been shown that improving
bystander CPR rates amongst lay people significantly increases a person's chance of survival, by two to three times.
Evidence from around the world has shown the link between the highest
bystander CPR rates and the highest survival numbers.
The visits are in association with Restart a Heart Day, a campaign launched five years ago after figures revealed that not even one in 10 people survive cardiac arrest, due to low
bystander CPR rates, whereas in countries where CPR is taught to school pupils, the survival rate is as many as one in four.
Seventy people in Scotland every week have a cardiac arrest; and Monica added: "
Bystander CPR can double and even treble survival rates.
"We know that defibrillators play a crucial step in the chain of survival and when used alongside
bystander CPR a person's chance of survival increases greatly.
What is
bystander CPR?
Bystander CPR means that the person who is beside someone who has had a cardiac arrest pushes hard and fast on their chest until help arrives from the ambulance service.
"The key take away from these data is that we need to find better and more effective ways to educate the general public on the importance of providing
bystander CPR, and the importance of being comfortable delivering it regardless of the factors like the gender, age, or even the weight of the person in need," said Benjamin Abella, senior author of a CPR study presented at the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions 2017.
Bystander CPR offers many survival advantages: it is associated with a two- to three-fold increase in survival when compared to victims who had no CPR before the arrival of emergency medical services personnel.
Without palpable pulses immediate
bystander CPR was performed and the patient was transferred to our hospital.