With Restart A Heart day just around the corner, find out why you should learn how to perform CPR. Restart A Heart Day occurs every year on 16th October. The purpose of this day is to to raise awareness about Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) and to teach people the life-saving skill of Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR).
Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is a simple skill that everyone, even children should acquire. You never know when you might need to use it to save the life of a relative, friend, colleague or stranger. CPR helps to pump blood around the person's body when their heart can't.
CPR is a combination of chest compressions and rescue breaths. By performing chest compressions and rescue breaths, you take over the role of the person's heart and lungs, pumping blood and oxygen around their body. The guidance on CPR was updated due to the COVID-19 outbreak. It is advised to now perform hands only CPR. Performing chest compressions only (hands only) still benefits the casualty during the time it takes the emergency services to arrive. Doing something is always better than doing nothing.
CPR is carried out in just a few simple steps. By learning these steps, you'll feel more confident to step in and help in an emergency.
The average ambulance response time in urban areas is 11 minutes. Delivering CPR in an emergency during this time ensures the casualty has the best chance of survival.
Sudden Cardiac Arrest happens to anyone, at any time or place. According to the Resuscitation Council, there are approximately 200 SCA cases in the UK every day. Just 1 in 10 people survive a cardiac arrest. This is often due to a lack of quick and effective treatment. When CPR and defibrillation is delivered within 3-5 minutes of the cardiac arrest taking place, the chance of survival is increased from 6%-74%. Knowing CPR gives you the ability to make a life-saving difference in an emergency situation.
For every minute that goes by without treatment following a cardiac arrest, a person in SCA loses 10% of their chance of survival. Without immediate treatment, 90-95% of cardiac arrests are fatal.
Just 46% of Sudden Cardiac Arrest casualty’s receive CPR from a bystander. Just 22% of people in the UK would feel confident enough to provide CPR on a stranger.
The reasons bystanders have given for not providing CPR include;
Ensure you are in a safe space and that the emergency services have been called.
To carry out chest compressions, follow these simple steps:
When practicing your compression technique, you may want to look for songs with the ideal beats per minute. This includes the popular 'Stayin' Alive' by The Bee Gees.
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