WFA is offering free CPR training courses to launch Operation Heartbeat. The courses are available to all Wellingtonians. There will be a series of courses available on the Waterfront on 5th November, or people can sign up here
The training focuses on the “three Rs”:
React to a suspected SCA victim
Ring 111 immediately
Have the confidence to Revive and perform early CPR
Those first few minutes before paramedics arrive make a vital difference to a SCA sufferer’s chances of survival.
Sudden Cardiac Arrest facts:
Around three people every week suffer from cardiac arrest in the Wellington region;
Sudden cardiac arrest can happen to anyone at any time, with many people showing no known heart disease or other risk factors;
Sudden cardiac arrest occurs when electrical impulses in the heart become rapid or chaotic, which causes the heart to suddenly stop beating;
Less than one-third of SCA victims receive bystander CPR;
The leading cause of SCA is coronary heart disease. According to the New Zealand Heart Foundation, every 90 minutes a New Zealander dies from this disease (16 deaths a day).
Did you know...
The most effective rate for chest compressions is 100 compressions per minute – the same rhythm as the beat of the Bee Gees’ song, “Stayin’ Alive.”
Despite what you see in the movies, CPR will not “make the heart start”. Rather, it simulates the beating of the heart, thereby assisting the circulation of oxygenated blood to vital organs;
Doing CPR badly is better than doing nothing at all! Keep doing compressions until an AED arrives and is ready for use or a paramedic takes over;
The best chance of survival comes from early CPR followed by defibrillation;
Unless someone starts CPR within three to four minutes, the person may suffer permanent damage to the brain and other organs;
Unlike TV depicts, you do not shock/defibrillate someone who has “flatlined” (no pulse);
