ORGANISATION IMPROVING SURVIVAL RATES FROM CARDIAC ARREST IN THE COMMUNITY SAYS ‘WE ALL NEED TO LEARN CPR’

Would you know what to do if a loved one’s heart stopped?

That’s the question Save a Life Cymru is asking the people of Wales as it encourages us to learn lifesaving cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) with its ‘touch someone’s life’ campaign, which launched today on Restart a Heart Day.

Receiving prompt CPR can help save a life and makes a huge difference to survival rates for cardiac arrests in the community. With every passing minute, the chance of a person surviving a cardiac arrest drops by 10% unless CPR is performed quickly.

Everyone can learn CPR, but only 56% of adults in Wales say they are trained in CPR. (1).

A huge 80% of cardiac arrests happen in the home and can happen to anyone at any age. Save a Life Cymru is encouraging everyone to learn CPR by providing people in Wales with an opportunity to learn lifesaving CPR and defibrillation skills and have the power to save a loved one in their hands.

The ‘Touch Someone’s Life’ campaign is laying the foundation for saving lives across Wales. As part of the campaign, a free, online training video has been created. Save a Life Cymru is encouraging everyone to spend a few minutes watching the training video and learn how to save someone’s life.

Kevan Roberts from Bridgend knows first-hand the difference prompt CPR can make after he collapsed outside his home in June of this year. His wife Julie performed CPR on him for several minutes until first responders arrived – saving his life.

Kevan said: “I wasn’t aware of any heart issues until I had my cardiac arrest. I’ve always been very active and, as far as I knew, I was only getting fitter. It was a real shock to all of us. My recovery has gone well – I don’t feel any different in myself. According to the doctors I owe that to Julie and the CPR she gave me.

“If more people learned CPR and could perform it at home on their family members, neighbours or friends more people like me would have positive outcomes and go on to live normal lives after a cardiac arrest. That’s why this campaign from Save a Life Cymru is so important.”

By raising awareness of the need for prompt CPR at the scene of a cardiac arrest in the community, and encouraging everyone across Wales to develop their CPR and defibrillation skills, Save a Life Cymru hopes to increase the numbers of people who are comfortable and willing to perform CPR and use a defibrillator and have a positive effect on survival rates.

Len Nokes, Emeritus Professor and Chair of Save a Life Cymru said: “Each and every one of us has the power to save a life. Performing CPR and using a defibrillator can make the difference between a full recovery and someone not leaving the hospital. Too many of us have either never learned these life-saving skills or don’t have the confidence to use them if we needed to.

“Learning CPR and using a defibrillator is easy. With the majority of cardiac arrests taking place in the home, we can make a real difference to survival rates in Wales simply by increasing the number of people who are able and willing to perform CPR and use a defibrillator on a loved one.”

For more information, search Save a Life Cymru.