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Plea for CPR help to continue during pandemic |
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Scots are being urged to continue to help save lives during the pandemic by stepping in with resuscitation support during emergency situations.
Nearly 650,000 people have been trained in ‘bystander’ CPR in the past five years as part of a campaign to improve survival rates of heart attack victims.
On International Restart a Heart Day, the Save a Life for Scotland Partnership is emphasising CPR can still be carried out while an ambulance is on the way.
The campaign says call handlers will provide advice on how to give essential lifesaving support in a safe way until help arrives.
Placing a cloth or towel loosely over the persons face will help reduce the potential for any spread of covid-19, according to guidance from the Resuscitation Council (UK).
Stepping in to help with CPR at an early stage can increase someone’s chance of survival by two to three times.
This year it was revealed for more than one in ten people who suffer a cardiac arrest outside of hospital are surviving and leaving hospital – around double the rate in 2015, when the CPR bystander campaign was launched.
Robert Hogg, who suffered a cardiac arrest while on a family holiday, was helped by an off-duty GP and dive medic who performed CPR until the ambulance arrived.
The 54-year-old was in Gairloch in the Highlands with his wife in August when he suddenly collapsed.
He said: “I would not be here if not for everyone involved. Even in such a remote area, they were still able to provide the care and attention I needed. I cannot thank everybody enough. I owe these people my life.”
Dr Andrew Lockey, Consultant in Emergency Medicine and co-lead for World Restart a Heart Day, Resuscitation Council UK, said: “The principle message for Restart a Heart is that you can still save a life, whilst keeping yourself safe.”
Lisa MacInnes, Director of the Save a Life for Scotland campaign, said that “any CPR beats no CPR”.
She said: “Our message today is please keep going. Your actions continue to give people the best chance of survival.”
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