World Restart a Heart Day is marked around the world on October 16. This day was chosen by the International Committee on Resuscitation (ILCOR) to promote bystander CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) on a global platform.
ILCOR as well as the European and Malta Resuscitation Councils (ERC, MRC) have stressed the importance of starting early and effective compression-only CPR using hands only, if the life of a stranger or a loved one is to be saved after a cardiac arrest.
Hands-only CPR is simple and effective and can be performed by anyone, and on any victim in cardiac arrest, both adults and children, at home, at work or in any public setting.
If CPR is performed promptly by bystanders before the emergency medical team arrives, it can double or triple a cardiac arrest victim’s chance of survival. Despite this, bystander CPR rates vary in different countries and range between five and 80 per cent.
In Malta in 2017, bystander CPR occurred in just 40 per cent of cardiac arrests and the overall survival rate was only five per cent.
Many bystanders in Malta did not attempt CPR because they didn’t know what to do or were afraid of hurting the victim. The latter is simply not possible, and knowledge on what to do is easily acquired.
Hands-only CPR consists of three easy steps: Check for responsiveness. If unresponsive… Call 112 and alert emergency services; start chest compressions by pushing down hard and fast in the centre of the chest until help arrives.
Restart a Heart Day was founded with the support of the European Parliament. This is the second year that the campaign will be launched as a worldwide initiative, adding the global designation to the campaign name.
The Malta Resuscitation Council is fully supportive of this initiative and has organised several events, including the training of 400 schoolchildren and several new CPR instructors to coincide with this date.
Nevertheless, the survival rate following cardiac arrest in Malta can only improve with the addition of significantly more trained lay people who can initiate bystander CPR.
This training should also include children, and the inclusion of CPR training as part of our national educational curriculum is paramount.
For more information: #worldrestartaheart; www.ILCOR.ORG/WRAH; www.erc.edu; www.resus.org.mt.